Experts from the Energy Research Centre (VEC), part of the Centre for Energy and Environmental Technologies (CEET) at VSB-TUO, can boast not only a national but also a global first.
They have access to a unique explosion chamber, also known as an explosion autoclave, where they are the only ones able to study explosion parameters even at low temperatures.
The facility, worth approximately 5.3 million Czech crowns, will significantly advance scientific knowledge in this field and, as part of an accredited laboratory, also provides valuable data to commercial partners.
According to Jan Skřínský from the VEC, there are about 200 explosion chambers in 58 laboratories around the world. These are sealed chambers that can withstand high pressures, allowing researchers to study the explosion pressure of various substances, particularly industrial dusts, gases, and liquids. The goal is to determine the explosive parameters of the tested materials and, for example, help prevent the risk of detonations in industrial operations.
The chamber, which the scientists had custom-made by the manufacturer, is exceptional for several reasons.
"The first is that we can heat the chamber up to 50 degrees Celsius, thereby altering the initial conditions of explosions. Only about ten autoclaves worldwide are capable of this. The second advantage of our device is that we can also cool the chamber down to minus 85 degrees Celsius — something that is unparalleled globally," Skřínský said.
Researchers are investigating, for example, the maximum explosion pressure of the substances being studied, as well as the rate at which this pressure increases. With rising temperature, these parameters decrease, which has been confirmed by scientists in various parts of the world over the past decade. "On the other hand, we are interested in how high the explosion pressure can be at low temperatures. We believe that bonds in the molecules begin to move when heated, and then only a small trigger is needed to initiate an explosion. However, by vibrating the bonds, the molecules lose energy, so the energy converted into the explosion is lower. But when we freeze the material, we nearly stop the bonds, they become stronger, and it is much harder to break them. If it is successful, the energy is released much more. This is exactly the mechanism we are studying," explained Skřínský.
Students should be involved in research with the new type of chamber as soon as possible. "That's another thing that sets us apart. Because none of the blast chambers in the world are at a university. We believe that by involving students we can create a very strong team. We already have about 40 theses on older types of chambers in about four to five years. These are students from the domestic Faculty of Safety Engineering and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, but also international students from Belgium, France, Germany and in the future Italy. This is a typical example of interdisciplinary research," the scientist added.
The explosion chamber is part of an accredited laboratory and is also used for commercial research. "For example, we have investigated how much coke oven gas can explode, but also substances like malt, aluminum, iron, cocoa, spices, or baby food. Based on the findings of these parameters, companies can then determine explosion protection measures. The ability to monitor parameters at low temperatures will also be used to study hydrogen in the context of the upcoming hydrogen plant in the region. Minus 40 degrees Celsius is roughly the temperature at which compressed hydrogen will be put into cars. So we need to know how it will behave," Skřínský concluded.
According to documented evidence, the study of explosions began in 1844, with the physicist Michael Faraday. At that time, the focus was on coal dust and methane. In the Czech Republic, this field has a tradition of more than sixty years.
Press release from VSB – Technical University of Ostrava.