On the mechanisms of pressure generation in vented explosions

Experiments conducted in near-cubic enclosures with low failure pressure explosion relief panels have been used to identify the physical mechanisms responsible for the generation of significant pressure peaks during vented explosions. For ignition at the center of a vessel the combustion process was found to give rise to four major pressure peaks, and these peaks have been quantified in terms of those parameters most frequently considered in the design of reliefs for explosion venting. Increasing the failure pressure of relief panels was found to result in two particular peaks becoming the dominant features of observed pressure-time profiles. The implications of all these findings for the design of explosion reliefs in practical situations are discussed.