Critical mass flow rate in accordance with the omega-method of DIERS and the Homogeneous Equilibrium Model

A correlation frequently used in practice for the design of the relief cross-section next to the Homogeneous Equilibrium Model is the so-called ω-method. For the determination of the ω-parameter a definition was originally reported by J.C. Leung in 1986. A new expression was proposed by the same author in 1995. Predictions of the critical mass flow rate using both the new and the old ω-parameter formulations as well as the Homogeneous Equilibrium Model are compared for some typical substances. Results demonstrate that the deviations as a rule are acceptable for practical use, if the proposed range of application and recommended property data calculation are respected.     

Assessment of the maximum possible liquid superheat during flashing leak flow

During the discharge of flashing liquids through leaks due to abrupt depressurization a transient thermodynamic non-equilibrium in the form of a boiling delay in the superheated liquid flow can occur. As a consequence the actual mass flow quality is smaller than calculated under the assumption of an immediate adjustment of the thermodynamic equilibrium between the phases. For the prediction of the leak mass flow for a given pressure difference the magnitude of this self-adjusting mass flow quality is needed.

Most of the models cited in the literature include only the equilibrium mass quality as limiting quantity and ignore further effects as that of the depressurization velocity or the mean nucleus distance. For the assessment of the maximum possible liquid superheat during flashing only the conduction heat transfer from a stagnant liquid to the bubble surface is used to describe the bubble growth.

The sub-model for the bubble growth due to expansion and mass transfer necessary for the global prediction of the transient thermodynamic non-equilibrium in flashing liquids was validated using bubble radii measured by Hooper et al. [Bubble growth and pressure relationship in the flashing of superheated water. Technical publication 6904, Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Toronto, 1969] for the case of a sudden depressurization of initially saturated water. On this basis the calculated time-dependent temperature field, the actual mass quality, the mean liquid temperature and, in comparison to the corresponding values based on the assumption of immediate thermodynamic equilibrium, the maximum possible liquid superheat are predicted.     

A New Homogeneous Non-Equilibrium Model to Compute Vapor-Liquid Two-Phase Critical Pressure Ratios of Multicomponent Hydrocarbon Mixtures

The critical pressure ratio (η_c) is an essential parameter for computing the vapor-liquid two-phase critical pressure and mass flow rate of multicomponent hydrocarbon mixtures flowing through valves and leakage orifices. The Homogeneous Non-Equilibrium Diener-Schmidt (HNE-DS) model widely used to calculate η_c assumes that the fluid's volume linearly changes with the pressure (using the Clausius-Clapeyron equation), which is not suitable for multicomponent gas mixtures. In this paper, a new Homogeneous Non-Equilibrium (new-HNE) model is proposed to calculate η_c of gas mixtures. Firstly, a new critical flow compressibility factor (ω_c) is developed from its thermodynamic definition and the Peng-Robinson equation of state (EOS), overcoming the inherent limitations of the Clausius-Clapeyron equation. Then, η_c is correlated to the newly derived ω_c by fitting experimental data at various pressures and gas mass fractions of both single-component and multicomponent gas mixtures, yielding the new HNE-DS model. Results show that, for the water-steam and air-water two-phase flow, the average relative deviations (ARD) between the calculated critical pressure ratios and experimental values are equal to 2.8% and 4.93%, respectively, which represents a significant improvement in comparison with the original HNE-DS model. Moreover, this new model is extended to the applications of Liquefied natural gas (LNG)/liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) fluids, and will further contribute to the calculation of the leakage mass flow rate of fluid flowing through the orifices/valves.     

Investigation of a drum explosion of 30% aqueous KOCN

A 30% aqueous solution of KOCN placed in a 55 gallon HDPE drum at 50 °C began venting gas almost immediately. Although a vent was kept open the drum exploded within 1–2 h of being filled. This report reviews the steps taken after the accident to find its cause and to recommend safe operating conditions. The DIERS vent sizing package (VSP), used as a closed system adiabatic reactor, was able to simulate the incident under controlled laboratory conditions. Data were thereby collected for the first time on the runaway kinetics of the KOCN hydrolysis. Isothermal data were obtained in a highly sensitive microwatt heat flow calorimeter in an open system. It was demonstrated that even under isothermal conditions, the hydrolysis rates accelerated once underway, reaching maxima in 30 h at 25 °C and 6.7 h at 40 °C. There is satisfactory agreement of these results with other work on 0.5% KOCN solutions reported in earlier studies.     

Unified correlations for vent sizing of enclosures at atmospheric and elevated pressures

Innovative vent sizing technology is presented for explosion safety design of equipment at atmospheric and elevated initial pressures. Unified correlations for vent sizing are suggested. They are modifications of previously reported correlations verified thoroughly for experimental data on vented gaseous deflagrations under different conditions but only at initial atmospheric pressure. Suggested correlations are based on experimental data on vented deflagrations of quiescent and turbulent propane–air mixtures at initial pressures up to 0.7 MPa. Typical values of turbulence factor and deflagration–outflow interaction number are obtained for experimental vented deflagrations at initial pressures higher than atmospheric.

“Blind” examination of new vent sizing technology on another set of experiments with methane–air and propane–air mixtures has shown that predictions by suggested vent sizing technology are better than by the NFPA 68 guide for “Venting of Deflagrations”.

In the development of recently reported results for initial atmospheric pressure it has been concluded that the innovative vent sizing technology is more reliable compared to the NFPA 68 guide at elevated initial pressures as well. Moreover it is crucial that the calculation procedure remains the same for arbitrary deflagration conditions.     

Rain-out investigation: Initial droplet size measurement

Droplet size distribution inside water flashing jets and corresponding rain-out fraction were measured. Mass distribution showed that a few droplets are ‘large’ (d>150 μm) and count for more than 85% of the liquid mass in the jet because of their large individual mass. This could be due to incomplete thermal fragmentation. It could explain the rain-out falling near the orifice or pipe exit.     

液化天然气(LNG)瞬时泄漏扩散的模拟研究

对液化天然气泄漏扩散过程进行了分析,考虑其泄漏后发生闪蒸时的液滴夹带以及混合空气量,将闪蒸完的状态作为箱模型的初始状态,考虑空气的湿度影响建立了重气扩散过程的箱模型,并应用实例进行了验证,得出了泄漏后有火灾爆炸危险性的区域以及距离泄漏源的位置,为应急救援预案的制定提供参考,模拟结果显示了重气扩散过程中的重力沉降,空气夹带等一般特征,同时云团初始闪蒸时的液滴夹带对云团的扩散行为具有一定的影响,不能忽略.最后提出了今后的研究方向.     

Dynamic model for a heat exchanger tube rupture discharging a high-pressure flashing liquid into a low-pressure liquid-filled shell

Shell-tube type heat exchangers are often used to exchange heat between a high-pressure fluid and a low-pressure fluid. The pressure difference between these two fluids could be significantly high. In the event of a partial or full rupture of a tube, a problem may arise in that a transient pressure rise phenomenon could occur due to the flashing of the high-pressure sub-cooled fluid in the tube into the low-pressure shell, which may cause the shell to rupture with subsequent damage to equipment. This paper presents a dynamic model to describe the transient phenomenon occurring on the shell side following various scenarios of tube rupture. The spatial and temporal aspects of the flow transients along the pressure safety valve riser are accounted for by solving the one-dimensional continuity and momentum hyperbolic partial differential equations as applied to the liquid-filled riser. The dynamics of the attached piping system are also accounted for via two mechanistic models; the first is based on an inertial-resistive assumption of the fluids in this system, while the other is based on the assumption of anechoic perturbations passing through a long section of the attached piping. The latter is justified in cases where the attached piping is long enough such that reflections from the downstream end do not interfere with transients occurring in the shell during the initial phase of fluid flashing into the shell side following rupture. The various phases of this phenomenon are described, however the paper focuses on the initial phase of the phenomenon during which shell overpressure may be encountered. The model is applied to two ethylene heaters in tandem; the first uses propylene on the shell side to heat the ethylene on the tube side, while the second uses methanol, also on the shell side. The ratio between the shell design pressure to the tube design pressure in these two heaters are 0.169 and 0.154, respectively, hence the motivation to accurately model the transients involved in this phenomenon. The practical aspects and discussion around techniques to alleviate potential overpressure scenarios due to tube rupture are emphasized throughout the paper.     

Scaling parameters for vented gas and dust explosions

Results of experiments or calculations for vented explosions are usually presented by expressing a term containing the peak (reduced) pressure as a function of a vent parameter. In gas explosions, the reactivity of the system has been typically characterized through an effective burning velocity, u_f. In the case of dust explosions, a normalized peak rate of pressure rise, K(=V^1/3(dp/dt)_max), has been used instead. Depending on the chosen approach, comparisons between systems with the same “reactivity” take different meanings. In fact, correlation formulas resulting from these two approaches imply different scaling between important system parameters. In the case of a constant-u_f system, and for sufficiently large vent areas, the reduced pressure, Δp_r, is approximately proportional to the square of the peak unvented pressure, Δp_m. On the other hand, correlations developed for constant-K systems imply proportionality of Δp_r with Δp_m raised to a power between −5/3 and −1, with the exact value depending on the assumptions made on the shape of the pressure profile. While the ultimate resolution of the details of the scaling may require recourse to experiments, this theoretical analysis offers a tool for the planning of such experiments and for the interpretation of their results. The paper provides a discussion of these scaling issues with the help of predictions from an isothermal model of vented explosions.     

Blast overpressures from medium scale BLEVE tests

The measured blast overpressures from recent tests involving boiling liquid expanding vapour explosions (BLEVE) has been studied. The blast data came from tests where 0.4 and 2 m³ ASME code propane tanks were exposed to torch and pool fires. In total almost 60 tanks were tested, and of these nearly 20 resulted in catastrophic failures and BLEVEs. Both single and two-step BLEVEs were observed in these tests. This paper presents an analysis of the blast overpressures created by these BLEVEs. In addition, the blast overpressures from a recent full scale fire test of a rail tank car is included in the analysis.The results suggest that the liquid energy content did not contribute to the shock overpressures in the near or far field. The liquid flashing and expansion does produce a local overpressure by dynamic pressure effects but it does not appear to produce a shock wave. The shock overpressures could be estimated from the vapour energy alone for all the tests considered. This was true for liquid temperatures at failure that were below, at and above the atmospheric superheat limit for propane. Data suggests that the two step type BLEVE produces the strongest overpressure. The authors give their ideas for this observation.The results shown here add some limited evidence to support previous researchers claims that the liquid flashing process is too slow to generate a shock. It suggests that liquid temperatures at or above the Tsl do not change this. The expansion of the flashing liquid contributes to other hazards such as projectiles, and close in dynamic pressure effects. Of course BLEVE releases in enclosed spaces such as tunnels or buildings have different hazards.     

Ignitability characteristics of aluminium and magnesium dusts that are generated during the shredding of post-consumer wastes

The authors investigated the ignitability of aluminium and magnesium dusts that are generated during the shredding of post-consumer waste. The relations between particle size and the minimum explosive concentration, the minimum ignition energy, the ignition temperature of the dust clouds, etc. the relation between of oxygen concentration and dust explosion, the effect of inert substances on dust explosion, etc. were studied experimentally.

The minimum explosive concentration increased exponentially with particle size. The minimum explosive concentrations of the sample dusts were about 170 g/m³ (aluminium: 0–8 μm) and 90 g/m³ (magnesium: 0–20 μm). The minimum ignition energy tended to increase with particle size. It was about 6 mJ for the aluminium samples and 4 mJ for the magnesium samples. The ignition temperature of dust clouds was about 750 °C for aluminium and about 520 °C for magnesium. The lowest concentrations of oxygen to produce a dust explosion were about 10% for aluminium and about 8% for magnesium. A large mixing ratio (more than about 50%) of calcium oxide or calcium carbonate was necessary to decrease the explosibility of magnesium dust. The experimental data obtained in the present investigation will be useful for evaluating the explosibility of aluminium and magnesium dusts generated in metal recycling operations and thus for enhancing the safety of recycling plants.     

Two leaks detection in viscoelastic pipeline systems by means of transient

This paper presents a technique for detecting and locating leaks in a single viscoelastic pipe, by means of transient analysis. The system studied is a reservoir-pipe-valve structure. The viscoelastic behavior of the pipe wall material is modeled by a generalized KelvinVoigt model. To determine the leak location, the mathematical formulation has been solved by the method of characteristics. The approach by the method of characteristics is often chosen because it is based on the concept of acoustic wave propagation which is the main mechanism of all transient events considered. The presence of the two leaks in a pipe partially reflects pressure waves initiated by the sudden closure of a downstream shut-off valve. These waves affect the shape and the amplitude of the time-history-pressure. The computed results describe the influence of the presence of two leaks on pressure time-history and the effect of leaks locations and sizes on the pressure signal behavior. The effect of the pipe wall viscoelasticity on the two leaks detection and sizing is also discussed. The leaks discharges are determined by resolving two independent equations derived from literatures and based on transient analysis. The friction and leaks depths effects on two leaks locations and sizing are involved.     

Correlation between flash points and vapor pressures of organic compounds

Correlations between flash points and vapor pressures at 25 °C for pure organic compounds were investigated. It was found that classification of organic compounds according to their chemical-structural characteristics (e.g., functional groups) was necessary for the correlation study. Under this classification, linearity seems to be the most appropriate correlation to explain the relationship between the inverse of flash points (°K) and the logarithm of vapor pressures (mm Hg) at 25°C for pure organic compounds. A test study to evaluate the validity of a regression line as an estimation of an unknown flash point from a known vapor pressure was carried out with a data set containing 31 alkanes and aromatics; 55% of the flash points were predicted within ±5°Cand89% were within ±10°C. Within limits of ± 5 to 10°C the procedure is useful but should be improved.     

Decomposing deflagration properties of acetylene under low temperatures

In this study, the decomposing deflagration properties of acetylene under temperatures down to −60 °C and pressures up to 0.2 MPa in a 1-L cylindrical closed vessel were experimentally investigated. The gases were ignited by an electric spark at the center of the vessel. The lower-limit pressures of decomposing deflagration by electric spark ignition were determined. The lower-limit pressure at 10 °C was 0.15 MPa, and it gradually increased with decreasing temperature. The lower-limit pressure at −60^oC was 0.18 MPa. The flame propagation properties, such as the pressure, were measured with pressure transducers mounted along the vessel. The maximum decomposing deflagration pressures and pressure rising rates also increased with decreasing temperature.     

Safety belt effectiveness in preventing driver fatalities versus a number of vehicular, accident, roadway, and environmental factors

Safety belt effectiveness in preventing fatalities to drivers is examined versus a number factors (vehicle, accident, and environmental) by applying the double-pair comparison method to appropriate subsets of the Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS) data. For each of 13 factors studied, safety belt effectiveness (the percent of fatally injured unbelted drivers who would not have been killed if they had been wearing safety belts) is estimated, as is an associated standard error of the estimate. The results, which are presented graphically, provide no evidence that safety belt effectiveness is systematically influenced by most of the factors investigated, including car mass and model year. The absence of any systematic relationship with car mass is in agreement with an earlier finding based on the pedestrian fatality exposure method; this agreement adds plausibility to the assumptions used for both the earlier and the present methods. Safety belt effectiveness is greater for single-car crashes (62 ± 5) % than for crashes involving two cars (30 ± 8) % , this difference being statistically significant at p<.02. The results suggest weakly that safety belt effectiveness is greater for two-door (48 ± 6) % than for four-door (38 ± 10) % cars, and is greater for striking (44 ± 6) % cars than for struck (27 ± 12)% cars. The above differences probably reflect higher effectiveness in frontal (or rollover) crashes than in side impacts.     

Vent Sizing Criteria for Partial Volume Deflagration

The accidental spill of volatile solvents or the release of flammable gases within equipment and buildings is likely to form fuel concentration gradients unless efficient mixing is provided. As a consequence, even small amounts of fuel can form flammable clouds, and partial volume deflagrations may occur. Nevertheless, few indications are given in international guidelines for vent sizing and only over-conservative well-mixed stoichiometric assumptions are used. In this paper, we propose a predictive methodology for the evaluation of the dynamics of partial volume deflagration, aiming at defining useful correlations for the design of vent devices, starting from the fundamental equation for the rate of pressure rise and flame propagation in closed vessel. We define a ‘stratified gas deflagration index’ K_G(m), where m is the filling ratio, and use it with the most common design equations for vent sizing. The approach has been validated by means of a CFD code for the simulation of stratified laminar methane–air explosion by varying both filling ratio and volume.     

“Slippery” work surfaces: Towards a performance definition and quantitative coefficient of friction criteria

There have been 50 years of research in walking/working surface slipperiness and coefficient of friction (COF) measurements. Nevertheless, numerous standards address slip/fall accidents only in terms of requiring surfaces to be qualitatively “nonslippery.” The literature useful for establishing quantitative criteria for “slippery” vs. “slip-resistant” have been summarized here. A performance definition for “slippery work surfaces” is proposed. Recommendations applicable to standards-making organizations are made, including changing terms such as “non-slip” to “slip-resistant” and defining “slippery” in terms of quantitative COF values. For persons walking unloaded on level surfaces, a COF standard of 0.5 would be reasonable. Research is recommended to determine if “slip-resistance” requirements and accident prevention could be achieved more easily be controlling the type of shoe, type of task, or amount of surface contaminant rather than controlling only the COF of the basic surface and its coating.     

Influence of the elastic behaviour of liquids on transient flow from pressurised containments

Release of liquids from vessels and pipelines is a very important scenario in consequence assessment. When the operating pressure is significant, its evolution and the corresponding discharge rate are affected by the elastic behaviour of the liquid. Bulk modulus is the key-driver of the related fluid-dynamics and is expected to govern the elastic-to-atmospheric pressure transition. Despite the well known physical background, the availability of release models relevant to the elastic phase is rather poor, compared to those relevant to vapours, gases and atmospheric liquids. On the other hand, if the operating pressure is high, release times and dynamics are expected to be strongly affected by the elastic behaviour and prediction of release time and flow rate is fundamental. This article carries outs a general analysis of the elastic behaviour of liquids, including water and hydrocarbons. Lumped (vessel-type) and distributed (pipeline) parameters systems have been modelled with the aim to characterize the pressure evolution during the elastic phase and to evaluate the significance of the associated duration. The findings have shown that, depending on pressure and geometric features, the importance of the elastic phase is high and that the availability of reliable and relatively simple models could be beneficial in consequence assessment. The approach is strictly valid for non-boiling liquid, but accounting for vaporisation of flashing or boiling liquids such as LPG and LNG would not imply significant complications.     

Experimental study of flame acceleration and the deflagration-to-detonation transition under conditions of transverse venting

Results of experiments on critical conditions for flame acceleration and the deflagration-to-detonation transition in tubes with transverse venting are presented. Tests were made with hydrogen mixtures in two tubes (inner diameter of 46 and 92 mm) with obstacles. Ratios of vent area to total tube area were 0.2 and 0.4. Venting was shown to influence flame acceleration significantly. The greater the vent ratio, the more reactive the mixture necessary for development of fast flames. Critical conditions for flame acceleration in tubes with venting, expressed through a critical mixture expansion ratio σ_cr, were found to be σ_cr/σ₀1+2, where σ₀ is the critical value for a closed tube. Critical conditions for detonation onset in a vented tube were found to be very close to those in a closed tube with similar configuration of obstacles.