Consequences assessment of explosions in pipes using coupled FEM-SPH method

Explosions often lead to destruction of equipment, which is a difficult problem including complicated fluid-solid interactions. Most traditional CFD methods cannot synchronously solve the movements of fluids and large deformation and fracture of solids because such problem is usually accompanied with constantly moving-and-changing boundary conditions. In this paper, a coupled Finite Element Method-Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (FEM-SPH) method was proposed to simulate the dynamic processes of explosions in pipes. The propagation of blast wave and the fracture of pipe were captured in every timestep, where the energy dissipation caused by plastic deformation and crack propagation were fully considered. A rate-dependent failure criterion for high-strain-rate load conditions was employed in the numerical simulation, which was presented in our previous work and has been verified in the dynamic fracture behavior of steels for pressure vessels and pipes. In addition, a simpler formula was proposed to describe the attenuation of blast wave outside the pipe and the consequences caused by the explosions were assessed. Results revealed the interaction between blast wave and pipe, the leakage of detonation products, the attenuations of peak overpressures outside the pipe and the corresponding consequences at different distances. It is found that when considering the energy consumption during plastic deformation and crack propagation in coupled FEM-SPH method, the assessment results are more rational than that without considering such energy consumption.     

Structure and flame speed of dilute and dense layered coal-dust explosions

Multidimensional time-dependent simulations were performed to study the interaction of a stoichiometric methane–air detonation with layers of coal dust. The simulations solved equations representing a Eulerian kinetic-theory-based granular multiphase model applicable to dense and dilute particle volume fractions. These equations were solved using a high-order Godunov-based method for compressible fluid dynamics. Two dust layer concentrations were considered: loose with an initial volume fraction of 1%, and dense with an initial volume fraction of 47%. Each layer was simulated with two types of dust: reactive coal and inert ash. Burning of the coal particles results in a coupled complex consisting of an accelerating shock leading a coal-dust flame. The overall structure of the shock–flame complex resembles that of a premixed fast flame with length scales on the order of several meters. The large length scales are direct results of time needed to lift, mix, heat, and autoignite the particle. The flame speeds are large and much larger than the gas-phase velocity. Large spikes of flame speed are characteristic of the 47% case. These spikes and high flame speed are caused by pockets of coal dust autoigniting ahead of the flame. The flame is choked in the 1% case due to the gas-phase products exceeding the sonic velocity with respect to the flame. The 47% case is choked due to attenuation of pressure waves as they propagate through particles. Inert layers of dust substantially reduce the overpressure, impulse, and speed produced by propagating blast wave. The results also show that loose layers of dust are far more dangerous than dense layers. The shock and flame are more strongly coupled for loose layers, propagate at higher velocity, and produce large overpressures and impulses.     

Propagation and intensity of blast wave from hydrogen pipe rupture due to internal detonation

The coupled fluid-structure-rupture model was developed to study the propagation and intensity of blast wave from hydrogen pipe rupture due to internal detonation. The dynamic rupture of pipe and propagation of blast wave were well coupled together in every timestep during the simulation. The numerical model was validated with experiments in terms of both typical rupture profiles and blast overpressures. Results reveal that crack branching of pipe can dramatically increase the rupture opening rate which controls the intensity and shape of the resultant blast wave. Due to the process of crack initiation and extension, the blast wave out of the pipe first forms and then is strengthened by the subsequent compression waves. This makes the maximum peak overpressure appears at a certain standoff distance above the rupture. Despite consuming some percentages of energy, the dynamic rupture of pipe generally presents positive effects (up to 2–3 times) on the blast wave intensity along the jetting direction due to the convergence effect of rupture opening on the release of internal high-pressure gas. Finally, through defining normalized overpressure and impulse based on the same hydrogen detonation in open spaces, the quantitative influences of pipe rupture on the blast wave intensity in cases of different detonation pressures and standoff distances are clarified.     

Modeling of detonation processes in chemically active bubble systems at normal and elevated initial pressures

The detonation processes in chemically active bubble liquids under elevated initial pressures are investigated theoretically. It is shown, that supersonic regimes of wave propagation can exist, if the initial pressure is relatively high and the volume fraction of the bubbles is relatively small. Characteristic values of the bubble detonation wave pressure at sub- and supersonic regimes differ by an order of magnitude.The principal possibility of detonation wave structure transformation in the case of propagation in the mixture with high initial pressure and longitudinal gradient of bubble volume fraction is predicted. The leading shock may transform into a smooth wave of compression.The Chapman-Jouguet conditions for self-sustaining supersonic bubble detonation wave is obtained.A model of shock induced single bubble dynamics and ignition taking into account the real properties of the liquid, inter-phase transition processes, mechanical mixing of phases, ignition delay and continuous shift of chemical equilibrium have been described. Calculations for the oxygen containing bubble in liquid cyclohexane have been performed.     

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.     

爆炸冲击波在建筑群中传播规律的数值模拟研究

为了研究建筑群的布局特性对爆炸冲击波传播的干扰作用及爆炸对周围环境的影响,笔者基于任意拉格朗日多物质流固耦合算法,对空气采用ALE网格,爆轰产物采用JWL状态方程,利用LS-DYNA程序对TNT理想爆炸源的爆炸进行了数值模拟,并与经验公式的计算结果进行了对比,得出了数值模拟方法可行的结论。在该基础上,以一个建筑小区为例,对其遭受爆炸后的响应作了进一步模拟研究。结果表明,建筑物的密度和布局方式对爆炸场的数值与形态都有敏感作用,因此,在城市规划建筑布局阶段,应考虑建筑密度和布局对爆炸冲击波的影响。     

随钻压力波在用于早期气侵检测时的扰动传播特性研究

为了研究随钻测量装置(Measurement While Drilling, MWD)压力波信号在用于早期气侵检测时的扰动传播特性,基于油气井多相流流动理论,建立随钻压力波在环空气液两相流中的扰动传播模型,对多参数影响下的压力波传播与衰减特性进行模拟,并对压力波检测技术的现场应用效果进行分析。结果表明:含气率、角频率、系统压力、虚拟质量力、拖曳力和壁面剪切力的变化都会对压力波在环空气液两相流中的传播与衰减特性造成不同程度的影响;相比于常规的全烃量检测技术,压力波检测技术可以更早地检测到气侵的发生,可进一步提高油气井建井的安全性。     

An experimental investigation of the coupling between gaseous explosion pressures and a water volume in a closed vessel

An experimental test program has been undertaken on the pressure coupling between gaseous deflagration and detonations and an underlying volume of water. The two forms of gaseous explosions were initiated in an ullage space within of a closed cylindrical metal vessel. The vessel, placed in a vertical orientation, and was 2 m high and 0.247 m diameter. The depth of water used for the experiments was 1.44 m. For the combustion tests the maximum pressure recorded in the ullage was also developed in the water volume. For detonation tests however a distinct pressure wave developed in the water filled region, significantly modifying the time resolved pressure history at the vessel wall.     

Numerical and reduced-scale experimental investigation of blast wave shape in underground transportation infrastructure

When an explosion occurs in a tunnel, the study of the blast wave quickly becomes complicated, owing to the multiple propagation patterns of the blast wave (incident wave, regular and Mach reflections) and to the geometrical conditions. Considering this problem, two patterns can be revealed. Near the explosive, the well-known free-field pressure wave can be observed. After multiple reflections on the tunnel's walls, this overpressure behaves like a one-dimensional (1D) wave. One aim of this paper is to determine the position of this transition spherical-to-planar wave propagation in a tunnel using both numerical and reduced-scale experiments, and thereby validate the dedicated law established in a previous work.For this purpose, a detonation of TNT in a tunnel with a cross-section of up to 55 m² is considered. Results show good agreement between the numerical simulations and experiments. The transition zone between the three-dimensional (3D) and the 1D wave is well detected. An application to a simplified subway station is also investigated which shows that significant planar waves can be transmitted to the neighboring stations via the junction tunnels.     

爆炸应力波在层状节理岩体中的传播规律试验研究

为了研究爆炸应力波在岩体中的传播规律,基于相似理论,开展了爆炸应力波在层状节理岩体中衰减的实验研究。研究表明,节理阻碍 应力波的传播且存在各向异性;对于垂直或小角度入射节理的应力波,在垂直方向和纵向的衰减很明显并且幅度较大,在横向衰减不明显;对 于斜入射节理的应力波,横向和垂直方向没有明显的衰减,纵向的衰减很明显并且幅度较大;应力波的合成峰值速度与炮孔密集度之间的关系 密切,当炮孔间距超过一定距离时,实际测得的速度时程为最近药包爆破产生的应力波,并非总药量产生的应力波的叠加。     

约束空间可燃气体燃烧爆轰特性的数值研究

在可燃气体的输送、贮存、加工和使用过程中,容易发生可燃气体的燃烧和爆炸事故。文中基于有限体积方法,采用五阶WENO格式进行左右状态量的重构后,利用ROE格式进行空间离散,自行开发程序对甲烷氧气的气相爆轰波传播过程进行了数值研究。计算结果表明:在CH4质量分数为10%的混合气体中,高温高压气团可诱导气相发生爆轰,爆轰波以2133.3 m/s的速度传播。在带有障碍物的约束空间内,文中分析了障碍物不同高度、不同间距条件下爆轰波传播时波的绕射、马赫反射等现象,给出障碍物表面压力随时间变化历程和冲量值,揭示波与障碍物的相互作用机理以及由此引发流场的变化规律,为有效地控制可燃气体的燃烧速率、防治爆炸灾害的发生提供理论依据。     

大质量熔融铝液遇水爆炸效应评估

为揭示蒸汽爆炸灾害形成机制,建立了大质量熔融铝液遇水自触发爆炸反应模拟装置。根据反应特征和破坏程度,熔融铝液遇水爆炸反应可分为柔和爆炸、剧烈爆炸与猛烈爆炸等3种类型;基于爆炸相似准则,定量化描述了爆炸反应的冲击波破坏效应;热效应则来自冲击波绝热压缩和产物热交换耦合作用;从热力学角度来看,铝液与容器底面夹裹形成过热亚稳态水,可认为是爆炸反应的触发源。     

Computer-aided modeling of the protective effect of explosion relief vents in tunnel structures

This paper aims at contributing to the efficient design of explosion protection systems against confined explosions. The issue addressed concerns the quantitative estimation of the protective effect of explosion relief vents in the case of confined explosions inside tunnels. A series of virtual experiments performed by computer simulation, revealed how the number of vents, their diameter, as well as the angle between the vents and the tunnel, influences the blast wave attenuation. The computational study was performed considering a complicated large-scale tunnel configuration with branches on its half portion. The purpose was the calculation of the attenuation effect due to the presence of vents by comparing the total explosion-specific impulse developing at antidiametric positions inside the tunnel. Simulations were carried out via a three-dimensional numerical model built in the computational fluid dynamics code CFX 5.7.1, which has been validated in previous papers against experimental overpressure histories data demonstrating reasonable performance. Computer results showed that the use of branch vents provides an effective method for shock wave attenuation following an explosion, whereas their statistical elaboration revealed that the attenuation is mainly affected by the number of vents and their diameter. In contrast, the angle between the side vents and the main tunnel appeared to slightly affect the pressure wave weakening. Eventually, the quantitative influence of the above parameters was effectively illustrated in functional diagrams, so that the total attenuation effect may be promptly estimated, if the design variables are known. In addition, two statistical models with reasonable fitting to the calculated data are proposed, which express the attenuation effect as a dependent variable of the design variables including their interactions.     

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.     

Attenuation of a point blast shock wave in the dusty air

The behavior of the blast impulse initiated by a point blast in the dusty air is investigated theoretically. It is shown that the jumps of parameters at the shock front in the dusty air follow other regularities in comparison with the case of an ideal gas, beginning from the distance of three dynamic radii, so at ten dynamic radii the difference in overpressure exceeds 60%. When the air heterogeneity is taken into account, substantial gradual changes of wave profile come over and the total blast wave impulse can't be determined by the front overpressure only. The known far asymptotic law takes no place in the point blast flow at the volume dust densities ρ₂₀ > 3·10^?3 kg/m³. In contrast to the ideal gas, the shock front discontinuity vanishes in the dusty air at a finite distance from its origin and the blast wave eventually turns into a dispersive wave without discontinuity. The wave structure changing is studied in the process of the shock wave transformation into the dispersive wave.     

可燃气体爆炸破坏效应的试验研究

借助高速摄像机及ProAnalyst软件,研究可燃气体体积分数和障碍物对可燃气体爆炸破坏力的影响。测定不同体积分数下的甲烷-空气预混气体爆炸冲击波超压,和爆炸火焰波在有无乒乓球方向传播的平均速度。试验结果表明:超压和平均速度均随着甲烷体积分数的增加呈现先增大后减小的变化趋势,其最大值均出现在甲烷体积分数为10%～11%之间;同一体积分数下的甲烷-空气预混气体爆炸火焰波在有乒乓球方向传播的平均速度比没有乒乓球方向传播的平均速度大。根据试验结果,推导出可燃气体爆炸冲击波超压和爆炸火焰波传播平均速度与可燃气体体积分数之间的函数关系,并得出障碍物对爆炸火焰波传播的加速作用随着体积分数的增加呈现先加强后减弱的变化趋势。     

天然气输送管道泄漏事故危害定量分析

针对某市天然气利用工程中高压输送管道可能发生的天然气泄漏的危险性进行分析 ,求出了其最大的泄漏流量。通过高斯扩散模式定量计算在大气为中性条件下 ,天然气在大气中的轴向、径向和切向的扩散距离 ,从而计算出该天然气 -空气混合云团的体积。对该体积预混云团的火灾危害进行评估 ,计算形成火球的参数 ,用热辐射剂量准则计算其伤害半径。对该预混云团可能产生的爆轰后果 ,采用超压准则计算其对人员和建筑物的伤害半径。并用热辐射强度准则对可能产生稳态燃烧进行了危害半径的计算     

基于爆破损伤的强制放顶爆破参数设计与应用

通过总结综采工作面坚硬顶板深孔爆破强制放顶成功案例,得出以爆破裂隙区半径为强制放顶爆破参数设计的不合理性,提出以爆破损伤范围为依据进行爆破参数计算。研究以国投新集二矿210108工作面为依托,通过爆破振动监测,回归得到综采面深孔爆破振动速度传播衰减规律,由此导出炮孔周围岩体内的质点振动峰值速度衰减规律。计算结果表明,炮孔直径75mm、装药直径63mm的深孔爆破可以在周围岩体中形成半径为7.631m重度损伤区,解释了炮孔间距大于10m仍能有着良好爆破效果的原因;设计最大孔底间距15.2m的爆破参数,并成功进行了现场应用,验证了计算方法的可靠性,为类似工程爆破参数设计提供了一个新方法。     

Experimental study on the feasibility of explosion suppression by vacuum chambers

In view of the invalidity of suppression and isolation apparatus for gas explosion, a closed vacuum chamber structure for explosion suppression with a fragile plane was designed on the base of the suction of vacuum. Using methane as combustible gas, a series of experiments on gas explosion were carried out to check the feasibility of the vacuum chamber suppressing explosion by changing methane concentration and geometric structure of the vacuum chamber. When the vacuum chamber was not connected to the tunnel, detonation would happen in the tunnel at methane volume fraction from 9.3% to 11.5%, with flame propagation velocity exceeding 2000 m/s, maximum peak value overpressure reaching 0.7 MPa, and specific impulse of shock wave running up to 20 kPa s. When the vacuum chamber with 5/34 of the tunnel volume was connected to the flank of the tunnel, gas explosion of the same concentration would greatly weaken with flame propagation velocity declining to about 200 m/s, the quenching distance decreasing to 3/4 of the tunnel length, maximum peak value overpressure running down to 0.1-0.15 MPa and specific impulse of shock wave below 0.9 kPa s. The closer the position accessed to the ignition end, the greater explosion intensity weakened. There was no significant difference between larger section and smaller vacuum chambers in degree of maximum peak value overpressure and specific impulse declining, except that quenching fire effect of the former was superior to the latter. The distance of fire quenching could be improved by increasing the number of the vacuum chambers.