Effect of Metal Foam Mesh on Flame Propagation of Biomass-Derived Gas in a Half-Open Duct

Abstract The effect of metal foam mesh on flame propagation of biomass-derived gas in a half-open duct was studied. The explanations are based essentially on the experimental investigations of premixed biomass-derived gas explosions carried out in a rectangular half-open combustion chamber. The initial temperature T0 and pressure P0 were 300 K and 1.0 atm, respectively. The key parameters of explosive characteristics, such as flame propagation images and explosive overpressure, were analyzed by changing the porosity, the pore density of porous metal foams, and the gas components. The results show that the use of porous metal foam has a significant inhibitory effect on the gas explosion. Although the combustion structure of the flames is similar, the action of the porous metal foam during the experiment also shows the characteristics consistent with the obstacles. When the porosity of the porous foam is 97%, the flame can be stimulated to produce turbulence, and then the shock–flame interaction generated by the reflection of the lead shock wave can enhance the explosion propagation and promote the explosion escalation. However, with the increase of hole density, the existence of the porous metal foam by momentum loss and heat loss to curb the spread of the explosion not only hindered the flow of not flammable but also extracted energy from the expansion of the combustion products at the same time. This study also confirms that the biological hydrogen and methane component has a vital role in the flame, and a reasonable hydrogen and methane ratio can improve the flame burning to get more economic value.