Applications of dust explosion hazard and disaster prevention technology

Powdered materials are widely used in industrial processes, chemical processing, and nanoscience. Because most flammable powders and chemicals are not pure substances, their flammability and self-heating characteristics cannot be accurately identified using safety data sheets. Therefore, site staff can easily underestimate the risks they pose. Flammable dust accidents are frequent and force industrial process managers to pay attention to the characteristics of flammable powders and create inherently safer designs.This study verified that although the flammable powders used by petrochemical plants have been tested, some powders have different minimum ignition energies (MIEs) before and after drying, whereas some of the powders are released of flammable gases. These hazard characteristics are usually neglected, leading to the neglect of preventive parameters for fires and explosions, such as dust particle size specified by NFPA-654, MIE, the minimum ignition temperature of the dust cloud, the minimum ignition temperature of the dust layer, and limiting oxygen concentration. Unless these parameters are fully integrated into process hazard analysis and process safety management, the risks cannot be fully identified, and the reliability of process hazard analysis cannot be improved to facilitate the development of appropriate countermeasures. Preventing the underestimation of process risk severity due to the fire and explosion parameters of unknown flammable dusts and overestimation of existing safety measures is crucial for effective accident prevention.     

Effect of admixture of solid inertant on fire hazard of dust layers oriented at varying degrees of inclination

Unlike metallic dust layers, the layer flammability levels (LFL) of non-metallic dust layers exhibit a wide range from Class 1 (No self-sustained combustion) to Class 6 (explosive combustion). However, determinations of layer flammability have not considered the effect of inclination angle, thereby potentially underestimating fire hazard of combustible dust layers in many industrial situations. In this research, inclined dust layers showed greater fire hazard than did horizontally oriented dust layers. For example, LFL of wood dust jumped from class 3 to class 5 when layers were positioned with an incline. Flame spread rate of PMMA dust layers increased from 1.8 to 3.6 mm/s when the angle of inclination increased from 0 to 40°. Even small amounts of solid inertant significantly decreased surface layer fires. The required amount of inertant to completely inert layer fires was far less than that for smoldering layer fires or dust explosions.     

多点法测定可燃物质自燃特性的可靠性研究

多点法是一种新提出的自热反应动力学分析方法。采用实验研究和理论分析相结合的方式对多点法的操作过程以及实验结果的可靠性展开研究。通过构建一维导热系统、采用不同形式的热电偶布设方式,对烟叶粉末的自燃临界环境温度、活化能以及反应热与指前因子的乘积等参数进行了测定。研究表明:所构建的一维系统能较好地模拟一维导热;热电偶的分布方式对测量结果有较大影响,对称分布状况下,温度结果与经典的F-K对称模型一致;多点法相比于传统方法省时省力,测定结果有较好的线性拟合相关度,求解的动力学参数较为可靠。     

炼油设备高温H_2S腐蚀产物自燃倾向及影响因素

利用自制的硫化氧化反应装置,研究了Fe2O3、Fe3O4、Fe(OH)3高温H2S腐蚀产物的自热性质,并采用扫描电镜分析了腐蚀产物的表面成分与形态.以Fe2O3腐蚀产物为例,研究了空气流量、环境温度及含水量对硫铁化合物自热性质的影响.结果表明,在环境温度40 ℃、空气流量300 mL/min条件下,3种腐蚀产物的自热性由强至弱顺序为Fe(OH)3、Fe2O3、Fe3O4;空气流量、环境温度的提高均会增强硫铁化合物的自热性;含水量低于10%会促进硫铁化合物的氧化反应,水质量分数达到60%氧化反应基本被抑制.     

烷基苯联合装置风险及控制研究

烷基苯联合装置含有国家安全监管总局首批重点监管的15种危险化工工艺中的加氢工艺、烷基化工艺两种,装置工艺介质为易燃、易爆、有毒及强腐蚀性物质,生产中潜在危险性较大;开展工艺风险研究,落实控制措施,对于提高装置本质安全性具有极为重要意义.首先探讨了工艺危险和要害部位,确认装置主要风险为火灾、爆炸和毒性危害;然后应用HAZOP方法,以加氢反应进料加热炉、烷基化反应器为分析对象,研究了工艺状态参数温度、压力、物料流量等方面出现偏差的原因、后果及安全措施;还对氢气泄漏发生火灾、爆炸和苯泄漏发生火灾、爆炸、人员中毒进行了事故后果定量分析,提出了相应的安全措施,以消除或降低工艺危险,保障装置安全.     

A quantitative risk management framework for dust and hybrid mixture explosions

Dust and hybrid-mixture explosions continue to occur in industrial processes that handle fine powders and flammable gases. Considerable research is therefore conducted throughout the world with the objective of both preventing the occurrence and mitigating the consequences of such events. In the current work, research has been undertaken to help move the field of dust explosion prevention and mitigation from its current emphasis on hazards (with an accompanying reliance on primarily engineered safety features) to a focus on risk (with an accompanying reliance on hierarchical, risk-based, decision-making tools). Employing the principles of quantitative risk assessment (QRA) of dust and hybrid-mixture explosions, a methodological framework for the management of these risks has been developed.The QRA framework is based on hazard identification via credible accident scenarios for dust explosions, followed by probabilistic fault-tree analysis (using Relex – Reliability Excellence – software) and consequence severity analysis (using DESC – Dust Explosion Simulation Code – software). Identification of risk reduction measures in the framework is accomplished in a hierarchical manner by considering inherent safety measures, passive and active engineered devices, and procedural measures (in that order). An industrial case study is presented to show how inherent safety measures such as dust minimization and dust/process moderation can be helpful in reducing dust and hybrid-mixture explosion consequences in a 400-m³ polyethylene storage silo.     

A review on hybrid mixture explosions: Safety parameters,explosion regimes and criteria,flame characteristics

The hybrid mixture of combustible dusts and flammable gases/vapours widely exist in various industries, including mining, petrochemical, metallurgical, textile and pharmaceutical. It may pose a higher explosion risk than gas/vapor or dust/mist explosions since the hybrid explosions can still be initiated even though both the gas and the dust concentration are lower than their lower explosion limit (LEL) values. Understanding the explosion threat of hybrid mixtures not only contributes to the inherent safety and sustainability of industrial process design, but promotes the efficiency of loss prevention and mitigation. To date, however, there is no test standard with reliable explosion criteria available to determine the safety parameters of all types of hybrid mixture explosions, nor the flame propagation and quenching mechanism or theoretical explanation behind these parameters. This review presents a state-of-the-art overview of the comprehensive understanding of hybrid mixture explosions mainly in an experimental study level; thereby, the main limitations and challenges to be faced are explored. The discussed main contents include the experimental measurement for the safety parameters of hybrid mixtures (i.e., explosion sensitivity and severity parameters) via typical test apparatuses, explosion regime and criterion of hybrid mixtures, the detailed flame propagation/quenching characteristics behind the explosion severities/sensitivities of hybrid mixtures. This work aims to summarize the essential basics of experimental studies, and to provide the perspectives based on the current research gaps to understand the explosion hazards of hybrid mixtures in-depth.     

Theoretical analysis and experimental study on critical conditions of backdraft

Backdraft is one of the most special behaviors of enclosure fires which has strong characteristics of concealment and suddenness. Once backdraft occurs in an enclosure, the fire will quickly engulf the entire enclosure and create a huge extrusive fireball out of the openings. In such circumstance, it is very difficult for people inside to evacuate and firefighters to enter to perform rescue. That’s why backdraft usually leads to serious consequences in both industrial and civil building fires. Experimental investigations on backdraft in enclosure fires caused by solid fuels have been carried out in the study, and the backdraft phenomenon has been reproduced in the small-scale enclosure fire tests. Based on the theories of heat transfer and fire dynamics, the theoretical model of conditions that backdraft occurs in enclosure fires has been established and the critical condition expressions have been deduced. Combining the results of theoretical analyses with those of experimental studies, a new backdraft criterion expressed by β, which is the ration between the combustible gas volume fraction and the lower explosive limit of the mixture, has been put forward.     

Experimental study of humidity influence on triboelectric charging of particle-laden duct flows

Electrostatic charge on powders arises during pneumatic transport due to particle–particle and particle–surface interactions via triboelectrification. This is a potential threat to the safety of industrial production and the source of numerous fires and dust explosions in the past. Triboelectric charges are affected by environmental conditions, such as ambient temperature and relative humidity. In this work, we experimentally investigated the influence of ambient humidity on the particle charge of gas–solid flows in a square-shaped duct. Monodisperse PMMA particles are fed into a fully developed airflow in a PMMA duct and then pass through a metallic duct section. The charge of particles is measured at the outlet of the metallic duct via a Faraday cup. By measuring the electrostatic charge under various environmental conditions, we observed that the electrostatic charge first increases with the humidity and then decreases when the humidity becomes higher.     

TORAP—a new tool for conducting rapid risk assessment in petroleum refineries and petrochemical industries

The use of a new computer-automated tool TORAP (TOol for Rapid risk Assessment in Petroleum refinery and petrochemical industries) is demonstrated through a rapid and quantitative risk assessment of a typical petroleum refinery. The package has been applied for an appraisal of the risks of accidents (fires, explosions, toxic release) posed by different units of the refinery, and to identify steps to prevent/manage accidents. The studies reveal that TORAP enables a user to quickly focus on the accidents likely to occur, and enables forecasting the nature and impacts of such accidents. This information is directly utilisable in identifying “soft” spots and in taking appropriate remedial measures to prevent or control accidents. The special attributes of TORAP are: (a) a wide range of applications—achieved by incorporating models capable of handling all types of industrial fires and explosions, (b) sophistication—brought about by including state-of-the-art models developed by these authors and others, (c) user-friendliness—achieved by incorporating on-line help, graphics, carefully formatted output, and, above all, an automatic module with which even a lay user can conduct risk assessment. The entire package, especially its automatic module, is supported by an extensive knowledge-base built into the software.     

Heat generation of refuse derived fuel with water

In order to clarify the scenario of fires and accidents resulting from spontaneous combustion of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF), exothermic phenomenon of RDF with water at ambient temperature was characterized by Calvet calorimeter (C 80 and MS 80), Thermal Activity Monitor and Dewar. The spontaneous combustion characteristic of RDF without additional water was examined by Thermogravimetry and Differential Thermal Analysis and Spontaneous Ignition Tester. The experimental results show the heat generation of RDF with different water content occurred instantly after additional water was added into RDF, while no exothermic phenomenon can be observed if no additional water was added into RDF at room temperature. It means that the self-heating of RDF does not only result from fermentation of RDF because of the prompt heat generation and temperature rise of RDF with water. It is possible that the self-heating of RDF results from heat of wetting first when additional water/vapor is absorbed by RDF. The further quantitative analysis for the self-heating of RDF with water/vapor should be made to explain the process of spontaneous combustion of RDF in detail.     

Pilot sample risk analysis for underground coal mine fires and explosions using MSHA citation data

After three decades of sustained continuous improvement of mine safety performances in the US, mine disasters in 2006 and 2007 compromised an excellent record and presented new challenges and vulnerabilities for the underground coal mining industry. In the aftermath of the incidents, formal investigations and new scrutiny of mine safety by the US Congress and expert study groups followed. The US Congress passed the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006 (MINER Act), which mandated new laws to address the issues, including those related to mine fires and explosions from which miners must be protected. The National Mining Association-sponsored Mine Safety Technology and Training Commission report highlighted the role of risk analysis and management in identifying and controlling major hazards, such as fires and explosions. In this paper an approach is given for analyzing the risks for fires and explosions based on the Mine Safety and Health Administration citation database. Using 2006 citation data and focusing on subsystem failures, the methodology is applied to a database for a pilot sample of underground coal mines stratified by mine size and state.     

Method for quantitative assessment of the domino effect in industrial sites

Accidents caused by the domino effect are the most destructive accidents related to industrial sites. The most typical primary incidents for a domino effect sequence are explosions (57%), followed by fires (43%) (Abdolhamidzadeh et al., 2010). These former can generate three escalation vectors (heat load, overpressure, and fragments), and may affect the surrounding equipments and/or facilities. If the affected targets are damaged, they may also explode and generate other threats to other surrounding facilities and so on. These chains of accidents may lead to catastrophic consequences and may affect not only the industrial sites, but also people, environment and economy. This paper presents a methodology for quantitative assessment of domino effects caused by fire and explosion on storage areas. The individual and societal risks are also estimated.     

Propagation of smouldering in dust deposits caused by glowing nests or embedded hot bodies

Smouldering fires in storage equipment are often caused by glowing nests or embedded hot bodies. Due to large temperature gradients near the glowing nest in a deposit of bulk material the detection of a smouldering fire is difficult and the smouldering fire may remain unnoticed until the reaction front breaks through the surface of the deposit. The present paper reports experimental investigations on thermal conditions, which may cause or promote an ongoing smouldering process, e.g. critical initial temperatures of embedded hot bodies or critical initial sizes of glowing nests. Propagation velocities of smouldering fires were dependent on the sample size, the oxygen content within the sample and on the caloric properties of three combustible dusts.     

通风开口对轰燃影响的数值模拟

轰燃是建筑火灾中的一个重要的火现象,室内局部火的发展过程中,热烟气向水源基底辐射,在一定条件下会产生正反馈,导致热烟气温度和火源释放速率急剧增加,从而转变成遍及整个房间的大火,轰燃的产生与否受到很多因素的影响,尝试利用CFAST对轰燃现象进行数值模拟,讨论了不同的通风开口条件对轰燃发生时热烟气温度和热释放速率的影响,计算机结果表明,当开口面积固定时,竖直开口比水平开口需要更大的火源释热速率,另外也指明了,多数情况下用CFAST对轰燃进行计算是可能的,但在某些临界条件下计算会终止。     

Characteristics of large cooking oil pool fires and their extinguishment by water mist

Large cooking oil pool fires, occurring in industrial oil cookers, present a severe hazard to food processing plants due to their size and the large amount of hot oil involved. This paper reports a series of full-scale fire experiments conducted in a large industrial oil cooker mock-up. The characteristics of large cooking oil pool fires and the effect of oil depth and hood position in the oil cooker on fire growth were studied. The use of water mist for extinguishing large oil pool fires and their extinguishing performance under different discharge pressure and with different types of water mist systems were investigated. Experimental results showed that the cooking oil underwent a substantial expansion in volume during heating. The fires developed quickly once the oil auto-ignited. The fire growth rate was affected by the oil depth in the pan and the hood position in the oil cooker. The water mist fire suppression systems effectively extinguished large cooking oil fires and prevented them from re-igniting. Their extinguishing performance was determined by the type of water mist system, discharge pressure and hood position in the oil cooker.     

Lithium-ion energy storage battery explosion incidents

Utility-scale lithium-ion energy storage batteries are being installed at an accelerating rate in many parts of the world. Some of these batteries have experienced troubling fires and explosions. There have been two types of explosions; flammable gas explosions due to gases generated in battery thermal runaways, and electrical arc explosions leading to structural failure of battery electrical enclosures. The thermal runaway gas explosion scenarios, which can be initiated by various electrical faults, can be either prompt ignitions soon after a large flammable gas mixture is formed, or delayed ignitions associated with late entry of air and/or loss of gaseous fire suppression agent. The electrical explosions have entailed inadequate electrical protection to prevent high energy arcs within electrical boxes vulnerable to arc induced high pressures and thermal loads. Estimates of both deflagration pressures and arc explosion pressures are described along with their incident implications.     

Blast damage to storage tanks and steel clad buildings

The 2005 Buncefield vapour cloud explosion showed the huge cost associated with blast damage to commercial property surrounding a major explosion incident. In most cases there was serious disruption to business activity; in many cases the buildings had to be demolished or abandoned for long periods until extensive repairs were carried out.Another key feature of this and other recent vapour cloud explosions has been the damage done to storage tanks. The blasts almost invariably cause immediate top and bund fires in any tanks surrounded by the vapour – even if they contain relatively high flashpoint materials such as diesel.The first part of this paper describes the patterns of damage observed in buildings in the industrial estates around Buncefield. Methods for assessing the degree of external and internal damage are presented.The second part of the paper deals with failure modes and ignition of various types of liquid storage tank during vapour cloud explosions. Again, the Buncefield data provides excellent examples that illustrate the importance of tank design, fill level, location relative to the cloud, etc.     

Characteristics of hazardous chemical accidents in China: A statistical investigation

Utilizing data from official sources, 1632 hazardous chemical accidents (HCAs) occurring in China (2006–2010) were investigated for statistical characteristics. The following results were obtained: (1) Time volatility: The yearly number of HCAs is shown to be almost constant (with a slightly increasing number of fixed facility HCAs); fixed facility and transportation HCAs do not always follow similar patterns at month and hour-level. (2) Location distribution: There are provincial classifications of HCA materials involved in certain types of industries and the potential for HCAs is highly concentrated in urban areas. (3) Fixed facility type versus transportation type: Explosions represent almost half (48.4%) of fixed facility HCAs followed by releases (41.5%) and fires (10.1%); whereas for transportation HCAs, releases account for 79.6%, then explosions (15.1%) and fires (5.3%). As for domino effects, releases were often the cause of subsequent explosions or fires. (4) Injury versus death: In contrast with other industrial accidents, HCAs result in more severe casualties. For explosion and release HCAs in China, the ratio of death to major injury is quite high, with the exception of fire HCAs. (5) Cause: Concerning immediate causes, human factors account for the majority of HCAs followed by equipment deficiency; environment is also a causative factor. Internal corporate management failures and lack of external government supervision (particularly HCAs occurring in illegal corporations) are both root causes in China. (6)Corporate proneness: Majority of HCAs occur in private corporations; as corporations grow, the occurrence of HCAs are shown to decline steadily then level off, following which they are forecasted to increase again in the “aging stages”, all of which can be explained by Corporate Lifecycles Theory.     

Flammability of hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide mixtures

The effect of carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentration on the ignition behaviour of hydrocarbon and CO₂ gas mixtures is examined in both jets and confined explosions. Results from explosion tests are presented using a 20 l explosion sphere and an 8 m long section of 1.04 m diameter pipeline. Experiments to assess the flame stability and ignition probability in free-jets are reported for a range of different release velocities. An empirically-based flammability factor model for free-jets is also presented and results are compared to ignition probability measurements previously reported in the literature and those resulting from the present tests.The results help to understand how CO₂ changes the severity of fires and explosions resulting from hydrocarbon releases. They also demonstrate that it is possible to ignite gas mixtures when the mean concentration is outside the flammable range. This information may be useful for risk assessments of offshore platforms involved in carbon sequestration or enhanced oil recovery, or in assessing the hazards posed by poorly-inerted hydrocarbon processing plant.