Suppression of methane explosion in a pipe network by carbon dioxide-driven montmorillonite powder with different masses

Summary Methane explosion is a major threat to modern industrial safety. An explosion suppression experiment that uses montmorillonite powder with different masses driven by carbon dioxide was conducted in an independently built pipe network. The performance of different parameters was characterized by peak explosion overpressures, explosion power indexes, and times for the flame wave to reach the outlet of the pipe network. Additionally, the explosion suppression mechanism was analyzed. The results demonstrated that increasing the powder mass from 20 to 50 g gradually enhanced the explosion suppression performance, while the performance slightly increased when the powder mass increased to 60 g. Therefore, from the perspective of practical application, energy conservation, and environmental protection, selecting 50 g of montmorillonite powder can thoroughly suppress methane explosions, indicating the best performance. The conclusions of this study can provide theoretical support for improving safety in industrial transportation that uses methane and effectively mitigating disaster risk.