Abstract
Releases of silane into air and the effects of obstacles were modeled with the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code, FLUENT. First the CFD code simulated the release of a free turbulent jet of silane into air to assure that the code agreed with established trends for turbulent jets. Then FLUENT was used to model the flow of silane when confined by a wall, or impinged by an obstacle such as a flat plate or a cylinder. Computer simulated concentration profiles of a silane and air mixture were analyzed to determine mixture volumes between the mixture explosive limits. For each volume of an explosive mixture, the volume of silane was determined. The volume of the flammable mixture and the amount of silane within the flammable mixture were normalized and determined as functions of obstacle radius and obstacle distance. lf the obstacle confines the entire volume, the volumes decrease as obstacle distance increases when the radial contribution dominates the volume. As the distance of the obstacle increases then the axial contribution dominates the volume so the volume increases. The volumes increase, decrease, or remain constant depending on the obstacle diameter.
Sposato, Christina F (2000). The effects of obstacle geometry on jet mixing in releases of silane. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -2000 -THESIS -S687.