Experimental study on explosive boiling mechanism of superheated liquid containing ethanol impurities under rapid depressurization

Abstract

In this study, a small visualization device was used to research the dynamic evolution of pressure reactions and bubble nucleation in tanks under rapid decompression. The effect of ethanol impurities on the mechanism of superheated boiling of liquids was investigated. The effect of ethanol impurities on the superheated boiling of liquids under different storage conditions is discussed by studying the pressure characteristic parameters. The experimental results show that ethanol impurities can reduce the bubble nucleation radius, leading to a sharp increase in the number of bubbles and more severe boiling during leakage. Besides, there is a saturation concentration which maximizes the promotion of superheated boiling of the liquid. Under the present experimental conditions, the boiling intensity of ethanol impurities saturates at 3.53%, and this saturation concentration decreases slightly with increasing initial leakage pressure. Ethanol impurities also promote boiling of superheated liquids at different initial liquid levels. This study can provide ideas for the investigation, analysis and prevention of related accidents.