Flame propagation through the header of an in-line flame arrester

This paper reports results of testing a pilot model of a flame arrester for flashback and burnout. The results are treated using the unsteady model of filtration gas combustion. It is shown that the process of burnout of the flame arrester consists of three stages with comparable characteristic times: the stage of flame entry into the porous bed, the stage of flame propagation through it, and the stage of flame exit from the porous bed. The mechanisms operating in each of the stages are described, and the determining parameters are established. Ways of improving the flame arrester performance are studied by theoretical analysis of the burnout process.