Laboratory scale tests for the assessment of solid explosive blast effects. Part I: Free-field test campaign

The definition of blast loads applying on a complex geometry structure is still nowadays a hard task when numerical simulations are used, essentially because of the different scales involved: as a matter of fact, modelling the detonation of a charge and its resulting load on a structure requires to model the charge itself, the structure and air surrounding, which rapidly leads to large size models on which parametrical studies become unaffordable. So, on the basis of the Crank–Hopkinson’s law, an experimental set-up has been developed to support reduced scale structures as well as reduced scale detonating solid charges. As a final objective, the set-up must be used to produce the entry data for numerical assessments of the structure resistance.This set-up is composed of a modular table, sensors and targets and has been designed to conduct non-destructive studies. In the context of security, the general aim is to study the effects of detonation shock waves in the vicinity of facility buildings and to test various shock wave mitigation means that could be implemented for the protection of facilities in sensitive locations. Especially, the set-up offers the possibility to measure the loading in terms of pressure-time curves, even for very complex situations like multiple reflections, combination and diffraction.The present paper summarizes the development of the set-up as well as the first tests performed. The main features of the table, the instrumentation and the pyrotechnics are given. Also the paper summarizes a first qualification tests campaign that has been conducted. In this campaign, free-field blast tests (i.e. blast tests performed without structures) have been conducted. Overpressure maxima, arrival time of the shock wave and impulse are presented as non-dimensional characteristics of the pressure-time history. The results obtained have been found in good agreement with reference curves available from the open literature and numerical model results.     

Numerical study of medium to large scale BLEVE for blast wave prediction

So far, the prediction of blast wave generated from the Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapour Explosion (BLEVE) has been already broadly investigated. However, only a few validations of these blast wave prediction models have been made, and some well-established methods are available to predict BLEVE overpressure in the open space only. This paper presents numerical study on the estimation of the near-field and far-field blast waves from BLEVEs. The scale effect is taken into account by conducting two different scale BLEVE simulations. The expansion of pressurized vapour and evaporation of liquid in BLEVE are both modelled by using CFD method. Two approaches are proposed to determine the initial pressure of BLEVE source. The vapour evaporation and liquid flashing are simulated separately in these two approaches. Satisfactory agreement between the CFD simulation results and experimental data is achieved. With the validated CFD model, the results predicted by the proposed approaches can be used to predict explosion loads for better assessment of explosion effects on structures.     

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.     

Comparison of blast curves from vapor cloud explosions

Several sets of blast curves are frequently used in the prediction of blast effects from vapor cloud explosions. However, they have not been validated by experiments since systematic experimental data have only become available in recent years. The aim of this paper is to present a comparison between the calculated blast curves and available experimental data. Also presented is a comparison between several blast curves. The comparison showed that for detonations and subsonic flames, the blast curves produced by one-dimensional numerical calculations are generally in agreement with experimental data. However, there is great difference between the measured and calculated overpressures for supersonic deflagrations. The experimental overpressures fall well below the calculated values and decay much faster. The discrepancy is more pronounced for less reactive mixtures. It can be concluded from the comparison that the prediction using one-dimensional numerical calculations is conservative and may be overly conservative for supersonic deflagrations.     

Experimental and numerical investigation of confined explosion in a blast chamber

An experimental blast program consisting of four tests was conducted in a blast chamber to investigate the effects of cylindrical charges on the peak reflected overpressure and impulse on the wall of the chamber. The charge mass varied from 0.095 kg to 0.2 kg and the standoff distance remained constant at 1.5 m and 1.3 m for the axial and radial directions, respectively. Eight pressure transducers were used in each test to measure the reflected overpressures on confined chamber walls at key locations. A high speed camera was used to record footage of each blast event. The test results indicated that UFC-3-340-02 (Unified Facilities Criteria, 2008) gives a significantly lower prediction for the axially oriented cylindrical charge, and also underestimates the radially oriented cylinder. Another purpose of the blast program was to develop an experimental data set which would validate the AUTODYN model. This would enable the validated AUTODYN model to be used with confidence to generate the overpressure and impulse distribution on a structural element for varying parameters such as the charge shape and charge orientations. Based on the simulated results a new blast model for cylindrical charges has been proposed by considering blast loading on the same level as the charge across the longitudinal direction.     

Shake table study of annular baffles in steel storage tanks as sloshing dependent variable dampers

Aboveground steel storage tanks are widely utilized in industrial areas such as oil refineries, petrochemical complexes, oil depots, and etc. Assurance of these infrastructure facilities in high seismic areas is a very important engineering consideration. High amplitude fluid sloshing is one of the widespread causes of steel oil storage tanks during strong earthquakes addressed as an important failure mode. This phenomenon generates additional forces impacting the wall and roof of the tanks. Annular baffles can be used as slosh damping devises to control liquid sloshing within a tank. The main objective of this paper is experimental study of annular baffle effects as anti-sloshing damping devices to reduce fluid wave sloshing height in steel storage tanks typically used in oil and petrochemical complexes during an earthquake. Shake table tests have been used on a reduced scale model steel storage tank in two cases of with and without annular baffles. Three real earthquake ground motion records are used as input base motion. Based on the experimental test results, dynamic characteristics of studied tank models with different filling levels and different baffle dimensions and arrangements have been obtained and summarized in this paper. Also, sloshing heights and convective mode damping values are determined from the test results and compared with API650 code recommendations and recommended equations by other researchers. Generally, the results of this study indicate significant effects of the annular baffles in reducing the fluid wave sloshing height as sloshing dependent variable dampers.     

Measurement of gas detonation blast loads in semiconfined geometry

The ignition and explosion of combustible vapor clouds represents a significant hazard across a range of industries. In this work, a new set of gas detonations experiments were performed to provide benchmark blast loading data for non-trivial geometry and explosion cases. The experiments were designed to represent two different accident scenarios: one where ignition of the vapor cloud occurs shortly after release and another where ignition is delayed and a fuel concentration gradient is allowed to develop. The experiments focused on hydrogen-air and methane-oxygen detonations in a semiconfined enclosure with TNT equivalencies ranging from 9 g to 1.81 kg. High-rate pressure transducers were used to record the blast loads imparted on the interior walls of a 1.8 m × 1.8 m × 1.8 m test fixture. Measurements included detonation wave velocity, peak overpressure, impulse, and positive phase duration. A comparison of the pressure and impulse measurements with several VCE models is provided. Results show that even for the most simplified experimental configuration, the simplified VCE models fail to provide predictions of the blast loading on the internal walls of the test fixture. It is shown that the confinement geometry of the experiment resulted in multiple blast wave reflections during the initial positive phase duration portion of the blast loading, and thus, significantly larger blast impulse values were measured than those predicted by analytical models. For the pressure sensors that experienced normally-reflect blast waves for the initial blast impulse, the Baker-Strehlow and TNT equivalency models still struggled to accurately capture the peak overpressure and reflected impulse. The TNO multi-energy model, however, performed better for the case of simple normally-reflected blast waves. The results presented here may be used as validation data for future model or simulation development.     

Numerical simulations on the attenuation effect of a barrier material on a blast wave

This paper numerically modeled previous experimental results and quantitatively revealed the attenuation effect of a barrier material on a blast wave. Four fluids were considered in the present study: the detonation products, water, foamed polystyrene, and air. These fluids were modeled by Jones-Wilkins-Lee (JWL), stiffened gas, and ideal gas equations of state. A mixture of water and foamed polystyrene was used as a barrier to encircle a 0.1 kg mass of spherical pentolite, and the interface problem between the barrier and the blast wave was investigated. The simulation parameters were the radius and the water volume fraction of the barrier. To elucidate the effect of the barrier, we conducted two series of numerical simulations; one without a barrier, and another with a barrier of 50 or 100 mm in outer radius and 0–1 in the water volume fraction. Peak overpressure, positive impulse, and pressure history all agreed well with the previous experimental results. We focused on the energy transfer from high-pressure detonation products to other fluids. The sum of the kinetic energies of the detonation products and the barrier induced by the blast wave could quantitatively estimate the attenuation effect of the blast wave and was minimized when the water volume fraction was 0.5, as was the case in the previous experiment.     

Improved far-field blast predictions from fast deflagrations,DDTs and detonations of vapour clouds using FLACS CFD

The CFD tool FLACS was developed from 1982 with a primary goal to predict gas explosion loads inside oil platform modules. The prediction of far-field blast loads was of secondary importance as any scenario creating a substantial far-field blast would already have collapsed the module where it originated. For the same reason the potential for a deflagration-to-detonation-transition (DDT) was not initially of interest. Over the past decade use of FLACS has been more widespread, and the tool is now frequently used to predict explosions on onshore facilities and FPSOs/FLNGs, where far-field blast loads and evaluation of DDT potential may be of significant interest. Previous work by Hansen et al. (2010) has highlighted a weakness in FLACS when predicting the far-field blast from strong gas explosions and, when using FLACS according to guidelines, far-field blast pressures will often be significantly underpredicted. For scenarios involving DDT this effect will be particularly strong. The current study will present a way to obtain more accurate far-field blast predictions by modified parameter settings in FLACS for strong deflagrations. Using modified settings, it is also possible, with good precision, to predict flame speeds, pressures and far-field blast from DDT-scenarios and directly initiated gas detonations, physics which are beyond the accepted capabilities of FLACS. Selected full-scale experiments from the DNV GL test site at Spadeadam will be used to compare with the simulations. Convincing evidence for DDT in large scale natural gas experiments (91% methane) was found in simulations of one of these tests.     

Acoustic analysis of blast waves produced by rapid phase transition of LNG released on water

Massive offshore and onshore storage of fuel have led the international community to raise questions about the hazards on the surrounding installations and people. Among the possible accidental scenarios when cryogenic gas as liquefied natural gas (LNG) is spilled on water at a very fast rate, the phenomenon of rapid phase transition (RPT) may occur: large amounts of energy are released during phase transition which can generate explosions. The related consequences should be added to the possible consequences of fire in terms of flash fire, fireball, pool fire, and vapour cloud explosion for confined and congested geometry surrounding the release point.In this paper, the analysis of RPT of LNG has been studied from the point of view of blast wave production, through ab initio acoustic analysis for monopole source. Maximum overpressures, as calculated at the source point and along the blast pathway are compared with results of large scale experiments. Safety distances are given for the sake of comparison with threshold distances reported in the open literature.     

事故树分析法在LPG储罐火灾爆炸事故中的应用

LPG(液化石油气)属于危险化学品之一,LPG储罐发生火灾爆炸的机率大,造成的损失比较严重,故对其火灾爆炸事故进行研究具有重要意义。LPG储罐爆炸根据其发生机理分为化学爆炸(燃爆)和物理爆炸两种模式。本文通过对LPG储罐燃爆﹑物理爆炸两类事故进行系统分析,建立了以LPG储罐燃爆、物理爆炸为顶事件的事故树。通过对其事故树的定性分析,得到了影响顶事件的各个最小割(径)集。通过计算底事件的结构重要度,确定了影响LPG储罐火灾爆炸事故的主要因素,并提出了相应的改进措施,进而提高LPG储罐的安全性和运行可靠性。     

Evaluation of the power of the distributed blast type explosive

Many works have been done on power evaluation of explosives and some evaluation methods presented. However, because of the differences of the explosion characteristics between distributed blast and common condensed explosive, a more reasonable way for evaluating the power of distributed blast is needed. In the paper, for a given range in space, a TNT equivalency method is proposed. Both the physical and mathematical meaning of power are considered in the method. Instead of giving equivalency of some individual points, TNT equivalent value for a certain space range can be obtained based on the method.     

Computer simulation of shock waves transmission in obstructed terrains

Generation and transmission of blast waves in real terrains is of major importance for risk analysis procedures involving accidental explosion scenarios. The problem arises from the impact of overpressure wave on people and structures that may be lethal or catastrophic under certain conditions. In this paper, a CFD simulation of shock wave propagation in obstructed terrain is attempted. Overpressure histories as well as a series of critical parameters, namely the positive and negative peak overpressure, the arrival time, and the positive and negative phase duration at specific points within the domain were obtained during the simulation. Their comparison with experimental measurements from field-scale high explosive blast tests performed by HSE showed a reasonably good agreement indicating that CFD computer programs provide reliable tools for estimating explosive shocks in complex terrains.     

A study of the blast wave shape from elongated VCEs

Elongated congestion patterns are common at chemical processing and petroleum refining facilities due to the arrangement of processing units. The accidental vapor cloud explosion (VCE) which occurred at the Buncefield, UK facility involved an elongated congested volume formed by the trees and undergrowth along the site boundary. Although elongated congested volumes are common, there have been few evaluations reported for the blast loads produced by elongated VCEs. Standard VCE blast load prediction techniques do not directly consider the impact of this congested volume geometry versus a more compact geometry.This paper discusses an evaluation performed to characterize the blast loads from elongated VCEs and to identify some significant differences in the resulting blast wave shape versus those predicted by well-known VCE blast load methodologies (e.g., BST and TNO MEM). The standard blast curves are based on an assumption that the portion of the flammable gas cloud participating in the VCE is hemispherical and located at grade level. The results of this evaluation showed that the blast wave shape for an elongated VCE in the near-field along the long-axis direction is similar to that for an acoustic wave generated in hemispherical VCEs with a low flame speed. Like an acoustic wave, an elongated VCE blast wave has a very quick transition from the positive phase peak pressure to the negative phase peak pressure, relative to the positive phase duration. The magnitude of the applied negative pressure on a building face depends strongly on the transition time between the positive and negative phase peak pressures, and this applied negative phase can be important to structural response under certain conditions. The main purpose of this evaluation was to extend previous work in order to investigate how an elongated VCE geometry impacts the resultant blast wave shape in the near-field. The influence of the normalized flame travel distance and the flame speed on the blast wave shape was examined. Deflagration and deflagration-to-detonation transition regimes were also identified for unconfined elongated VCEs as a function of the normalized flame travel distance and flame speed attained at a specified flame travel distance.     

Using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for blast wave predictions

Explosions will, in most cases, generate blast waves. While simple models (e.g., Multi Energy Method) are useful for simple explosion geometries, most practical explosions are far from trivial and require detailed analyses. For a reliable estimate of the blast from a gas explosion it is necessary to know the explosion strength. The source explosion may not be symmetric; the pressure waves will be reflected or deflected when hitting objects, or even worse, the blast waves may propagate inside buildings or tunnels with a very low rate of decay. The use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) explosion models for near and far field blast wave predictions has many advantages. These include more precise estimates of the energy and resulting pressure of the blast wave, as well as the ability to evaluate non-symmetrical effects caused by realistic geometries, gas cloud variations and ignition locations. This is essential when evaluating the likelihood of a given leak source as cause of an explosion or equally when evaluating the potential risk associated with a given leak source for a consequence analysis.In addition, unlike simple methods, CFD explosion models can also evaluate detailed dynamic effects in the near and far field, which include time dependent pressure loads as well as reflection and focusing of the blast waves. This is particularly valuable when assessing actual near-field blast damage during an explosion investigation or potential near-field damage during a risk analysis for a facility. One main challenge in applying CFD, however, is that these models require more information about the actual facility, including geometry details and process information. Collecting the necessary geometry and process data may be quite time consuming. This paper will show some blast prediction validation examples for the CFD model FLACS. It will also provide examples of how directional effects or interaction with objects can significantly influence the dynamics of the blast wave. Finally, the challenge of obtaining useful predictions with insufficient details regarding the geometry will also be addressed.     

Impact of a shock wave on a structure on explosion at altitude

The number of explosive attacks on civilian buildings has recently increased and the pattern of damage inflicted on structures when an explosion takes place at altitude remains quite difficult to predict. The primary aim of the work reported here was to enhance the understanding of how blast waves from an explosion at altitude interact with the ground and with a structure. Small-scale experiments were conducted using a propane–oxygen stoichiometric mixture as explosive. This approach is original because it models high-explosive detonation in terms of gaseous charge explosion using TNT equivalents. Several non-dimensional laws are expressed and validated by experiments. These relationships allow determination of the propagation of a blast wave and its interaction with a structure as a function of the position of the explosive charge when the explosion occurs at altitude. Then, from knowledge of the blast loading, using Hopkinson's scaling law and TNT equivalents, we can predict the interaction of blast waves with the ground and a structure on a real scale. Simulations were performed using the Autodyn code, and good correlation with the experimental results was obtained.     

A numerical study of the evolution of the blast wave shape in rectangular tunnels

When the explosion of condensed materials occurs in square or circular cross-section tunnel, the subsequent blast wave reveals two patterns: three-dimensional close to the explosive charge and one-dimensional far from the explosion. Pressure decays for these two patterns have been thoroughly studied. However, when the explosion occurs in rectangular cross-section tunnel, which is the most regular geometry for underground networks, the blast wave exhibits a third, two-dimensional, patterns. In order to assess the range of these three patterns, several numerical simulation of blast waves were carried out varying the width and the height of the rectangular cross-section as well as the mass of the charge. Laws are presented to localize the transition zones between the 3D and the 2D patterns, and between the 2D and the 1D patterns, as functions of non-dimensional width and height. The numerical results of the overpressure are compared to existing 3D and 1D laws. An overpressure decay law is proposed to represent the 2D pattern. Knowing the two transition zones and the overpressure decays within these zones, an algorithm is presented to efficiently predict an overpressure map. This algorithm is validated by comparison with experimental data.     

Expansion-controlled evaporation: a safe approach to BLEVE blast

A new method is presented to calculate the blast effects originating from an exploding vessel of liquefied gas. Adequate blast calculation requires full knowledge of the blast source characteristics, i.e., the release and consequent evaporation rate of the flashing liquid. As the conditions that allow explosive evaporation are not entirely clear and the evaporation rate of a flashing liquid is unknown, safe assumptions are the starting point in the modelling. The blast effects from a BLEVE are numerically computed by imposing the vapour pressure of a flashing liquid as boundary condition for the gas dynamics of expansion. The numerical modelling is quantitatively explored just for liquefied propane. In addition, it is demonstrated that often an estimate of BLEVE blast effects is possible with very simple acoustic volume source expressions.

The modelling shows that the rupture of a pressure vessel containing a liquefied gas in free space only develops a blast of significant strength if the vessel nearly instantaneously disintegrates. Even if a rupture and the consequent release and evaporation of a liquefied gas extend over just a short period of time, the blast effects are minor.     

高炉煤气全干式布袋除尘净化技术

通过对国内外大中型高炉煤气除尘系统的分析比较，对高炉煤气除尘系统几个重大技术问题提出自己的见解，并指出新建、改建、扩建大中型高炉为避免重复投资，应不建湿式除尘系统备用，而向建干式布袋除尘方向发展。     

Numerical investigation into dynamic responses of RC columns subjected for fire and blast

Structures may be exposed to fire and blast due to accidents (i.e. explosion of flammable gas in industrial structures) or terrorist attacks during the service life. Performances of RC structures subjected to extreme conditions of fire and blast, thus, have drawn much attention from academia. In this paper, the coupling effect of high temperature and high strain rate in concrete was firstly studied based on the experimental data to improve the damage plasticity concrete model in ABAQUS. Secondly, the transient heat transfer effects in different fire scenarios and following fire resistances of RC columns with constant axial forces were numerically investigated on the basis of the improved concrete model, which are validated by the corresponding test data, and the residual axial loading capacity of RC columns was quantitatively calculated. By incorporating the different merits of implicit algorithm applied to heat transfer analyses and explicit algorithm usually used in blast analyses, a numerical approach to analyze the responses of RC columns subjected to the coupling loadings of fire and blast was finally developed. Mid-span displacements and damage of the RC columns subjected to fire and explosions were quantitatively calculated and discussed. The proposed approach was demonstrated to be effective in predicting the responses of RC structures subjected to coupling loadings of fire and blast.