Cornstarch explosion experiments and modeling in vessels ranged by height/diameter ratios

Abstract Height to diameter ( H / D ) ratio is one of the important parameters affecting premixed particle–air combustion characteristics. This paper focuses on the behavior of cornstarch combustion in closed vessels with changed H / D ratios and fixed volumes; and a combustion model is employed to simulate the experiments. An Eulerian–Lagrangian approach for two-phase flows was used in the model and conservation equations of unsteady turbulent two-phase reacting flows were solved in two-dimensional domains. Heat loss to the vessel walls was taken into consideration in the model. The simulation results have a good agreement with those of experiments. Further simulations were carried out for higher H / D ratios from 8 to 15. These results show that H / D =8 is a changing point. When H / D H / D ratios. While H / D >8, the both have an increasing tendency with increasing H / D ratios.