Experimental study on the ignition characteristics of leaking RP-3 aviation kerosene on a horizontal hot wall

¹ State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
² Department of Environment and Energy Engineering, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei 230601, China
³ Department of Civil Engineering, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK

^* Corresponding author: wxuehui@ustc.edu.cn

Abstract

The accidental ignition of liquid fuels is an industrial safety concern due to the storage and transport of pressurized flammable liquids near components at elevated temperatures. In this work, the ignition process of leaked RP-3 aviation kerosene on the surface of the high temperature heat meter was studied experimentally and the critical temperature of the 50% ignition probability was obtained by the statistical method. The ignition process of fuel on horizontal hot wall was analysed by using the ignition video shot by high-speed camera, and the fuel steam plume model of the minimum hot surface ignition temperature for spilled fuel was established, which provided a theoretical basis for quantitative research on the ignition characteristics of leaking fuel on the hot surface. It shows that the temperature field and spatial concentration distribution produced by oil evaporation are time-varying and helpful for engine room fire protection. This study complements the related content of the fuel ignition mechanism on hot wall, at the same time, and provides fundamental understanding of the physical phenomena involved in the thermal ignition of impinging sprays in different regimes toward the goal of improved industrial safety.