A Spatially Uniform Model of Self-Ignition Due to Combustible Fluid Leakage in Insulation Materials: The Effect of Initial Conditions

The self-ignition phenomenon of flammable fluids in lagging material is investigated in the case of large activation energy and using spatially uniform assumptions. A complete classification of the dynamical regimes includes slow regimes, thermal explosion, and a novel type of dynamical regime termed "thermal explosion with delay." All possible transition scenarios between the different types of regimes are investigated. An explicit analytical description is obtained for the safe parametric domain in which the initial self-heating does not lead to a final ignition event.