Inhibition Effect of KHCO(3) and KH(2)PO(4) on Ethylene Explosion

[Image: see text] The explosion risk of ethylene (C(2)H(4)) seriously hinders safe development of its production and processing. To reduce the harm caused by C(2)H(4) explosion, an experimental study was conducted to assess the explosion inhibition characteristics of KHCO(3) and KH(2)PO(4) powders. The experiments were conducted based on the explosion overpressure and flame propagation of the 6.5% C(2)H(4)–air mixture in a 5 L semi-closed explosion duct. Both the physical and chemical inhibition characteristics of the inhibitors were mechanistically assessed. The results showed that the 6.5% C(2)H(4) explosion pressure (P(ex)) decreases by increasing the concentration of KHCO(3) or KH(2)PO(4) powder. The inhibition effect of KHCO(3) powder on the C(2)H(4) system explosion pressure was better than that of the KH(2)PO(4) powder under similar concentration conditions. Both powders significantly affected the flame propagation of the C(2)H(4) explosion. Compared with KH(2)PO(4) powder, KHCO(3) powder had a better inhibition effect on the flame propagation speed, but its ability to reduce the flame luminance was less than KH(2)PO(4) powder. Finally, the inhibition mechanism(s) of KHCO(3) and KH(2)PO(4) powders were revealed based on the powders’ thermal characteristics and gas-phase reaction.