Explosion pressures in enclosures compartmented by porous barriers

It has been found possible to substantially reduce the peak pressures observed when a gaseous mixture is exploded within a closed vessel; this can be accomplished by dividing the internal volume into several smaller volumes separated by suitable porous barriers. A suitable barrier is one which (a) provides little resistance to gas flow through it, and (b) prevents passage of flame (by cooling it) from one compartment to the next; plates of sintered bronze shot have been found to be effective barriers. A single stainless-steel screen (50*50 mesh) was not an effective barrier for stoichiometric ethylene/air flames; but it did quench for equivalence ratios below 0.7. For a simple geometry it has been found possible to predict the instantaneous pressure as a function of the fraction of the total volume filled by flame products. 2 refs.