Experimental study on flame spread along fuel cylinders in high pressures

Flame spread over solid fuels in high-pressure situations, such as nuclear containment shells during a pressurized period, has potential to result in catastrophic disaster, thus requiring further knowledge. This paper experimentally reveals the flame spread behaviors over fuel cylinders in high pressures. Polyethylene and polymethyl-methacrylate cylinders with the diameter of 4.0 mm are used in this study. Ambient gas is air, and total pressures are varied from naturally normal pressure (100 kPa) to elevated pressure (500 kPa). Flame characteristics including flame appearance and flame size and burning rate and flame spread rate are investigated. Results show that in high pressure, the flame appearance is significantly affected. As the pressure increases, the blue flame disappeared, and the color of flame tip changes from luminous yellow to orange as well the orange part extends down towards the base of flame. The dimensionless flame height increases with pressure for pressure below 150 kPa and then decreases with pressure above that level. The burning rates show increasing trend with pressure and are proportional to P-0.6 and P-0.79 for polymethyl-methacrylate and polyethylene, respectively. Besides, flame spread rates for polymethyl-methacrylate and polyethylene both were found to be proportional to P-0.5.