Thermal radiation in dust flame propagation

The role of thermal radiation in premixed flame propagation has been a matter for debate for decades. And it is not only a challenging scientific point, it has significant practical implications. For instance, a route to explain the Buncefield explosion (HSL, 2009) was the implication of tiny particles raised by the blast and promoting flame acceleration through enhanced heat exchanges by thermal radiation in the flame front. In dust explosion protection, the flame is implicitly supposed to propagate like a in a gaseous mixtures but if thermal radiation is dominant for some dusts, many aspects concerning the way to mitigate the explosions for those particular dusts would need to be revised (Proust and al., 2013). In this paper, new experimental measurements of thermal radiation in dust flames (methane air, methane air seeded with inert particles, aluminum dust air flames) are presented together with a physical interpretation.