Multiscale Modeling for Process Safety Applications

3.2. Flammability Limits

Flammability limits, namely LFL and UFL, of a material, are two of the most important variables used to assess hazards for handling, storing, and transportation of chemicals. Inaccurate estimates and understanding of mixture flammability limits have the potential of significant impact from maintaining hazardous condition ignorantly in a facility to spending significant capital expenditure in mitigating minimal consequence event. This calls for improved understanding and reliable estimates of LFL and UFL of individual chemical and their mixtures either through experiments or computational modeling. We have briefly touched on estimation of flammability limits through Le Chatelier's equation in Chapter 2 (equation 2.1 ...