Experimental exploration on the suppression of methane-air mixture explosions by bio-based modified gel dry water materials

Natural gas holds enormous potential in the low-carbon transition of the global energy system, but the risk of explosions from gas leaks poses severe threats to life and property. In this study, sodium phytate and carbamide were introduced as active components, and through hydrogen bonding and ionic interactions between sodium alginate and k-carrageenan, a bio-based modified gel dry water powder (PC-GDW) was prepared and applied for the suppression of 9.5 % methane (CH 4 )-air mixture explosions. The results demonstrate that the physical performance and explosion suppression effect of dry water (DW) could be improved by optimizing the core solutions and gels. CO 2 -driven with 12 g of PC-GDW effectively weakened the energy generated by the CH 4 explosion and dissipated the reflected pressure wave, thus preventing the explosion flame from propagating to the rear of the suppression zone. Compared with the CH 4 explosion without any suppression, the peak temperature ( T p ) decreased by 94.8 %, while the maximum explosion pressure ( P max ) and maximum rise rate of pressure ((d p /d t ) max ) were reduced by 62.5 % and 71.8 %, respectively. Moreover, the synergistic suppression mechanism of the multiphase system was revealed. This work confirms that PC-GDW is a green and renewable explosion suppression material with potential applications in gas transportation and utilization.