Main R&D Activities

Main research and development activities include:

• Flame propagation in homogeneous and inhomogeneous fuel-air mixtures
  

  

  Pressure record from CO2 BLEVE

• DDT / Transition to detonations
• Hydrogen safety
• CO2 BLEVE (Boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion)
• Dispersion and ignition of gas clouds
• Shock waves from various types of explosions
• Supersonic compressible flow
• High speed filming and digital image processing
• Accident investigation
• Development of test methods, models and software
• Experimental and engineering support to industrial development programs

Experimental Facilities

We have a flexible and well equipped laboratory at the university college.

• 16 channel high speed logging (100 MS/s)
• 2 Photron high speed video cameras (APX RS-BW and SA1-color)
• Various Kistler and Kulite pressure transducers
• Schlieren with PalFlash 501

Field test capability in cooperation with Norward (Rafnes) and Norwegian Defences Estate Agency. Our laboratory equipment is mobile and we are capable of setting up and running field tests with pressure measurements and high speed filming in one day.

Numerical capabilities

Our work on development of models and software for compressible reactive flows are based on using Matlab:

• FLIC – Large Eddy Simulation
• RCM (Random Choice Method)
• BOS (Background Oriented Schlieren)
• Parallel Processing
  

  

  LES simulation of a detonation front

Cooperation

Statoil, Norsk Hydro, Norcem, Borealis, Ineos, Norward, DnV, CMR-GexCon, Østfold Energy, Miljøbil Grenland, Tel-Tek, IEA-HIA-Task 19, and Norwegian Defence Estates Agency.

Ph.D. Theses

• Lars-André Tokheim, "The Impact of Staged Combustion on the Operation of a Precalciner Cement Kiln" Telemark University College – NTNU, 20 Oct 1999
• Ernst Petter Axelsen, "Teoretiske og eksperimentelle studier av forbrenning av alternative brensel i sementovner", Telemark University College – NTNU, 31 Oct 2002
• Kjetil Kristoffersen, "Gas explosions in process pipes", Telemark University College – NTNU 2004:79
• Vegeir Knudsen, "Hydrogen gas explosions in pipelines – Modeling and experimental investigations", Telemark University College – NTNU, 2007:14
• Knut Vågsæther, "Modelling of gas explosions", Telemark University College – NTNU, 2010:221

Selected publications

• Bjerketvedt, D., I. O. Moen, and O. K. Sonju. 1985. The influence of experimental condition on the reinitiation of detonation across an inert region. Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics 106:109–30.
• Bjerketvedt, D., J. R. Bakke, and van Wingerden, K. 1997. Gas explosion handbook. Journal of Hazardous Materials 52(1(special issue)):1–150. ISSN 0304-3894
• Sommersel O. K., Bjerketvedt, D. Christensen, S. O. Krest, O. Vaagsaether, K.
  “Application of background oriented schlieren (BOS) for quantitative measurements of shock waves from explosions” Shock Waves, Volume 18, Number 4 / September, 2008
• Sommersel, O. K., Bjerketvedt, D., Vaagsaether, K., and Fannelop, T.K., Experiments with release and ignition of hydrogen Gas in a 3 m long channel, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume: 34 Issue: 14 Special Issue: Sp. Iss. SI Pages: 5869-5874, July, 2009