Experimental study of the propagation characteristics of gas explosions in urban utility tunnels
WU Jiansong1, CAI Jitao1, ZHAO Yimeng1, CAO Yue1, ZHOU Rui2, PANG Lei3
1. School of Emergency Management and Safety Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China; 2. Institute of Public Safety Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; 3. School of Safety Engineering, Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology, Beijing 102617, China
Abstract：The rapid urbanization in China has led to many utility tunnels containing a variety of municipal pipelines including natural gas, heating, water and electrical power that are key infrastructure components in cities. The most dangerous hazard is the natural gas pipelines that can leak to form explosive gas clouds in the confined tunnels which brings huge explosion risks to the safe operation of the utility tunnels. The propagation characteristics of gas explosions in a complex, confined utility tunnel were studied experimentally as a function of various factors to support safety control and assessments of gas explosions in utility tunnels. The experiments studied the effects of methane concentration, pressure relief ports and auxiliary facilities such as the gas pipeline design, distribution boxes and fire boxes on the flame propagation and the overpressures. The results show that the maximum overpressure occurs for a methane concentration of 9.5%, vents in the tunnel significantly reduce the overpressures compared with closed utility tunnels, and the peak overpressure attenuation rate is 28.4%. Auxiliary facilities in the tunnel accelerate the flame propagation and lead to greater overpressures. This study provides guidance for improving disaster mitigation for natural gas utility tunnels in cities.
吴建松, 蔡继涛, 赵亦孟, 操阅, 周睿, 庞磊. 城市综合管廊燃气爆炸传播特性实验研究[J]. 清华大学学报（自然科学版）, 2022, 62(6): 987-993.
WU Jiansong, CAI Jitao, ZHAO Yimeng, CAO Yue, ZHOU Rui, PANG Lei. Experimental study of the propagation characteristics of gas explosions in urban utility tunnels. Journal of Tsinghua University(Science and Technology), 2022, 62(6): 987-993.
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2022, Vol. 62 
