FLUID-STRUCTURE INTERACTION IN GASEOUS EXPLOSION SIMULATIONS

Abstract

According to ANSYS - developer of the Multiphysics platform for computer simulations - the FSI (Fluid-Structure Interaction) model can be used in all cases where a fluid encounters a solid structure, for example, wind gusts rotating a turbine, air washing the surface of a moving car etc. This method finds applications especially in the aeronautical and automotive industries, but also in medical research, such computer simulations track the influences of blood pressure and blood flow velocity in the veins. This paper deals with an extension of applying this method in a lesser field, namely in investigating gas explosion events through computer simulations. For this, in the virtual domain, a geometry similar to a house was built, in which an explosive atmosphere generated by an accidental natural gas leak was simulated. Following the source of initiation, the process of rapid combustion of combustible gas takes place, the dynamic effects produced by the pressures generated by the expansion of the gases being calculated and quantified by the FSI model. The results obtained by applying this method in the simulations help in the decision-making process to adopt the most effective measures to prevent explosion-type events of air-fuel mixtures, being useful in the development of explosion risk assessment studies, for identifying the worst-case scenario.