A Thermodynamic Analysis of the Rich Flammability Limits of Fuel-Diluent Mixtures in Air

A simple approach is described for the calculation of the rich flammability limits of fuel-diluent mixtures in air for a wide range of initial temperatures based only on the knowledge of the flammability limit of the pure fuel in air at atmospheric temperature and pressure conditions. Various fuel-diluent mixtures that include the fuels methane, ethylene, ethane, propane, butane, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen, and the diluents nitrogen, carbon dioxide, helium, and argon have been considered. Good agreement is shown to exist between predicted values of the rich flammability limits and the corresponding available experimental values for the fuel-diluent mixtures.