Detonations and vapor cloud explosions: Why it matters

The methods used to evaluate the consequences of a vapor cloud explosion assume deflagrations within congested process pipework regions and consequently a significant effort has been invested in developing models to estimate the severity of these deflagrations. Models range from the simpler screening approaches to detailed Computational Fluid Dynamics. There is clear evidence from large scale experiments and incidents that transition from deflagration to detonation is credible and has occurred and it is the contention of this paper that deflagration is only the first stage in many major vapor cloud explosions and that detonation is readily foreseeable. Why does this matter? The methods currently used in the design and location of buildings on and around process sites are based on an incomplete picture of vapor cloud explosions. Whilst this might not have a significant effect in some cases, it is shown that there is the potential to significantly underestimate the explosion hazard. This will result in occupied buildings either being placed in the wrong location or under-designed for the explosion threat, increasing the risks to personnel on these sites.     

Confined vapor explosion in Kaohsiung City – A detailed analysis of the tragedy in the harbor city

On the midnight of July 31st, 2014, a catastrophic vapor explosion occurred in the downtown of Kaohsiung city. The incident was initiated from a leak of an underground pipeline transporting pressurized propylene liquid. Analysis of pipeline operation logs and pipeline break release modeling suggested that at least 90,000 kg of propylene leaked, entered the underground trench and spread into the trench 4.5 km in distance before meeting an ignition source some three hours later after the leak. The ignition caused a significant confined vapor explosion which blew out the road above the underground trench, damaged more than one hundred vehicles on the road with thirty two fatalities and more than three hundred injuries. This article will first describe the background of the pipeline installation follows by an in-depth look at the explosion incident covering the events leading to the explosion, explosion damage, cause of the leak, spread of the leak, identification of a probable ignition source, and root causes in safety culture. Finally, lessons learnt and recommendations are given to prevent and mitigate the occurrence of similar incidents.     

Fuzzy fault tree analysis for fire and explosion of crude oil tanks

Crude oil tank fire and explosion (COTFE) is the most frequent type of accident in petroleum refineries, oil terminals or storage which often results in human fatality, environment pollution and economic loss. In this paper, with fault tree qualitative analysis technique, various potential causes of the COTFE are identified and a COTFE fault tree is constructed. Conventional fault tree quantitative analysis calculates the occurrence probability of the COTFE using exact probability data of the basic events. However, it is often very difficult to obtain corresponding precise data and information in advance due to insufficient data, changing environment or new components. Fuzzy set theory has been proven to be effective on such uncertain problems. Hence, this article investigates a hybrid approach of fuzzy set theory and fault tree analysis to quantify the COTFE fault tree in fuzzy environment and evaluate the COTFE occurrence probability. Further, importance analysis for the COTFE fault tree, including the Fussell–Vesely importance measure of basic events and the cut sets importance measure, is performed to help identifying the weak links of the crude oil tank system that will provide the most cost-effective mitigation. Also, a case study and analysis is provided to testify the proposed method.     

圆柱形无约束气云爆炸高温效应研究

为了分析无约束可燃气云爆炸产生的高温伤害效应,建立了相应的数学模型,利用有限体积的离散方法,对无约束空间内甲烷浓度10％、高径比为1的圆柱形可燃气云爆炸的瞬态温度场进行了数值研究。研究结果表明,圆柱形可燃气云爆炸的温度场呈不对称性分布,靠近地面处足最危险区域,高温可能达到的最大怪直高度和最大水平距离分别约为圆柱体高的2倍和半径的3．2倍。对数值模拟结果的数据进行多项式拟合,得到了圆柱形可燃气云爆炸场最高温度随水平距离、初温及参与爆炸气云质量的函数关系式,给可燃气云爆炸灾害的预测及防护提供了科学依据。     

原油管道氮气抑爆实验研究

为了探究不同浓度下的氮气对管道受限空间内油气爆炸的影响作用,通过原油实验管道测得不同油气浓度下的最大爆炸压力值,研究氮气对原油管道爆炸特性的抑制作用。研究结果表明:实验原油管道油气浓度在4.32%~14.25%区间管道油气发生爆炸,在低油气浓度的爆炸区间内,相近油气浓度的爆炸压力等爆炸特性上升较快,高浓度的爆炸区间内,变化较缓慢,在9.23%的油气浓度时爆炸特性变化最明显;在爆炸区间内充入浓度为0%~30%的不同浓度的氮气,随原油管道内氮气浓度的扩充,实验所测得爆炸区间不断压缩,在26%的氮气浓度时几乎不发生油气爆炸,且实验研究的爆炸特性均有所减弱。     

煤气化装置泄漏爆炸事故伤害作用区域研究

利用FARO-Phonton三维激光扫描设备结合Microstation软件对某煤气化装置进行精确建模,根据厂区的实际情况设定可能的爆炸事故场景,运用计算流体力学软件FLACS研究不同爆炸事故对周边环境的作用过程及伤害区域,并与传统蒸气云爆炸伤害作用区域计算方法进行了比较分析.对比研究结果显示,基于FLACS的技术方法能综合考虑复杂装置设备对爆炸后果的影响,预测爆炸后空间各个部位超压的变化趋势及规律,能够弥补传统经验公式法的不足,更加适用于煤气化装置爆炸事故状态下应急救援区域的划分与确定.     

Comparison of explosion models for detonation onset estimation in large-scale unconfined vapor clouds

Although industrial denotations in semi-open and congested geometries are often neglected by many practitioners during risk assessment, recent studies have shown that industrial detonations might be more common than previously believed. Therefore, from the explosion safety perspective, it becomes imperative to better assess industrial detonation hazards to improve robustness of explosion mitigation design, emergency response procedures, and building siting evaluation. Having that in mind, this study aims to review current empirical vapor cloud explosion models, understand their limitations, and assess their capability to indicate detonation onset for elongated vapor clouds. Six models were evaluated in total: TNO Multi-Energy, Baker-Strehlow-Tang (BST), Congestion Assessment Method (CAM), Quest Model for Estimation of Flame Speed (QMEFS), Primary Explosion Site (PES), and Confinement Specific Correlation (CSC). Model estimations were compared with large-scale test data available in the open literature. The CAM model demonstrated good performance in indicating deflagration-to-detonation transition (DDT) for test conditions experiencing detonation onset without any modification in the methodology. Some suggestions are provided to improve simulation results from PES, BST and QMEFS.     

液化石油气站储罐区火灾爆炸危险性分析与安全措施

选择具体的液化石油气储配站,分析了该站的危险特性、危险产生的途径及可能造成的后果。在没有任何防护措施的情况下,采用蒸气云爆炸和沸腾液体扩展蒸气云爆炸模型,对该站一个50m3储罐发生泄漏造成的火灾爆炸事故后果进行预测,得出火灾爆炸后的安全距离为大于211．0m。在储配站不能满足此安全距离的基础之上,从防止产生爆炸性气体环境、消除点火源和抑制事故扩大三方面来提出有效的安全措施,降低事故发生的概率及事故造成的损失。其中,站址选在全年最小频率风向的上风侧且周围空旷的地区,罐上设置液位计、压力表、温度计及可燃气体报警器可防止产生爆炸性气体环境;罐及管道设静电接地,法兰用铜线跨接,站内设警示标志可消除点火源;生产区与辅助区间设置隔离墙,罐区周围设置砖混围堤,罐上设安全阀可抑制火灾爆炸事故扩大。     

Cause analysis of the fire and explosion during crude oil desulfurization in China

A serious fire and explosion accident that resulted in massive crude oil leakage and severe environmental pollution occurred on 16 July, 2010, in Dalian Port, China. To investigate the root cause of accident and conduct a wide-range investigation, desulfurizing agent JH02, which has a similar ingredient to the desulfurizing agent HD used in Dalian Port, and TS02 were employed in this study to determine the role of desulfurizing agents in the accident. The thermal behavior of crude oil, desulfurizing agents, and their mixtures was measured by using a C80 calorimeter. By using the calorimetric data, the kinetic parameters of the chemical reaction, such as activation energy, pre-exponential factor, and self-accelerating decomposition temperature of crude oil, as well as JH02, TS02, and their mixtures, were calculated and compared. The results indicated that the direct cause of the accident was the thermal runaway initiated by the increasing instability of the crude oil–desulfurizing agent mixture. Excess pressure in the oil pipeline triggered the physical explosion, but it alone was not enough to cause a serious damage. Furthermore, a stable desulfurizing agent such as TS02 could not ensure a safe desulfurizing process. The results of this study would benefit the safety management of desulfurizing processes during production and storage.     

“2.20”鞍钢重型机械铸钢厂喷爆重大事故原因分析

2012年2月20日鞍钢重型机械制造有限公司铸钢厂发生了一起中国有史以来最严重的砂型喷爆事故,事故现场造成13人死亡,6人重伤,11人轻伤。通过现场勘查和调阅监控录像,对该起事故发展过程进行了详细分析。认为可能的原因是地坑防水层失效,墙壁裂纹渗水导致砂床底部积水,在钢液浇注后,积水遇熔融钢水迅速汽化,蒸汽急剧膨胀,压力骤增 ,导致了喷爆事故。利用能量守恒定律,近似推算了喷爆事故所需水量,进一步证明由于少量渗水导致该起事故的可能性     

障碍物排列方式对海洋平台蒸气云爆炸的影响

为了了解障碍物排列方式对海洋平台蒸气云爆炸的影响,基于CFD方法建立蒸气云爆炸计算模型,选用国外MERGE项目的系列爆炸实验进行模型验证,提出用于衡量障碍物排列不均匀度的量化参数,针对海洋平台典型结构形式,分析障碍物排列方式对爆炸强度的影响。研究结果表明:蒸气云爆炸后果对于结构排列方式比较敏感,结构障碍物间隔均匀排列的形式造成的爆炸冲击作用最大;在爆炸发展初期阶段,障碍物阻塞程度对超压产生和发展影响更加显著。最后,基于研究结果,给出在海洋平台油气泄漏危险区将管线沿甲板非均匀排列布置等防控建议,为海洋平台蒸气云爆炸安全防控提供理论指导。     

陆上原油长输管道泄漏爆炸事故情景构建研究

以某陆上原油长输管道为例,设定了陆上原油长输管道泄漏爆炸事故情景背景信息及演化过程,从预防、准备、预警、响应、恢复等阶段,梳理分析了事故情景应对全过程的任务及职责主体;针对各项任务从计划预案、人员队伍、装备物资、培训演练、运行机制等方面开展了情景应对能力评估;并针对存在的差距和不足,从企业和政府2个层面提出了针对此类情景的应急能力提升对策建议。该研究可为相关政府及企业加强油气长输管道事故应急准备能力建设提供参考。     

Ahmedpur Sharqia oil tanker tragedy: Lessons learnt from one of the biggest road accidents in history

The 2017 Ahmedpur Sharqia oil tanker explosion and fire, costing 219 lives, is one of the biggest ever road transportation disasters in history. This paper presents a detailed investigation and analysis of the accident circumstances and the series of events that contributed to the calamity. The investigation follows a holistic approach that examines the whole system including driver management, vehicle design, road design, and police management of the spillage scene.The analysis shows that although the first cause was driver dozing off behind the wheel, it was a complete system failure which created a domino effect. If all safety systems were in place, there would have not been any serious consequences of that first error. The investigation revealed that there were serious lapses in the design and fabrication of the vessel and truck in violation of UN-ADR safety standards and Pakistan's OGRA-RT standards andno proper protocols or SOPs were followed for driver workload and shift management by Shell Pakistan Ltd. and its contractors. Mismanagement of the post crash scenario by local law enforcement agencies was also a major serial failure. The study provides crucial lessons on the domino nature of such disasters.     

氧气瓶内附油脂充氧过程爆炸分析与计算

分析总结了氧气钢瓶物理爆炸和化学爆炸的原因。针对2009年某市发生的一起氧气瓶内含油脂爆炸事故,系统分析了国内曾经发生的几次因油脂导致气瓶爆炸事故。油脂进入到氧气瓶内大都是由于误操作。油脂与高压纯氧接触会发生剧烈的自燃氧化放热,使瓶内的氧气迅速升温升压,超出气瓶承压极限导致爆炸破裂。分析比较发现由油脂导致的气瓶爆炸,其破坏程度不如混入可燃气体导致的气瓶爆炸剧烈,一般不是粉碎性爆炸。在正常的充氧过程中,氧气瓶温度会升高,采用变质量热力学中的方法,计算说明气瓶在充装过程中氧气温度的具体变化。充氧温度计算为充氧工作人员提供参考,如发现异常情况,可以及时地控制和预防。由现场压力表可知氧气瓶在充装至12MPa时发生爆炸,而氧气瓶最小爆炸压力为37.6MPa,油脂燃烧放热,计算可知致使钢瓶爆炸破裂所需要的最小油脂量,为66.4-79.6g。不同的充装压力下发生爆炸,所需要的最小油脂量不同,充装压力越高,爆炸所需要的最小油脂量越少。     

氨分解装置中液氨储罐火灾爆炸危险性分析

以某金属处理企业氨分解装置中液氨储罐罐区为例,对液氨泄漏后火灾爆炸事故及其伤害范围进行了研究,用池火、蒸气云爆炸和沸腾液体扩展蒸气爆炸模型进行计算分析,给出火灾、爆炸事故的人员伤害和财产损失范围。结果表明:围堤堤内池火或罐内池火时,罐区建构筑物内的汽化器、管道等设备会因直接过火或热辐射导致损坏,建筑内人员死亡,但难以波及罐区之外;蒸气云爆炸产生相当于1192.72kgTNT爆炸的当量,爆炸的后果严重,应重点防范,防范的重点为液氨泄漏、点火源;沸腾液体扩展蒸气爆炸的火球半径56.1m,持续时间8.7s,死亡半径27.2m,其源于储罐受热或系统突然失效,液体瞬时泄漏汽化并遇点火源而发生,具有突发性且后果严重,企业应高度重视并严格储罐及系统的定期检验与校验、密切关注系统的有效运行。     

输气管道高后果区蒸气云爆炸超压预测方法探究

为准确预测输气管道高后果区在发生蒸气云爆炸事故时的超压分布情况,对国内外运用较为广泛的蒸气云爆炸超压预测经验模型和数值模拟方法进行调研,并分别应用其对某输气管道全尺寸泄漏燃爆实验进行超压预测,结合实验数据和输气管道高后果区管理现状进行方法准确性和工程适用性分析。研究结果表明：基于等效TNT假设的Henrych模型、Mills模型和等效TNT当量数值模拟方法均不适合准确预测蒸气云爆炸超压,TNO多能法和混合气体数值模拟方法所预测的结果较为接近实验结果。TNO多能法使用简便且推广性强,但主观性较大,易高估或低估爆炸后果;混合气体数值模拟方法操作繁琐且推广性差,但分析结果精度较高。在对高后果区进行安全管控时,可结合TNO多能法与混合气体数值模拟方法同时对管道工况进行评估,确定TNO多能法的爆源强度等级,继而推广使用TNO多能法。该研究结果可在较大程度上保证评估的准确性并节约成本。     

Experimental study of the VOC emitted from crude oil tankers

Light hydrocarbons vaporize to the space between crude oil interface and roof of the storage tank during loading of crude oil tankers in marine oil terminals. When crude oil is loaded to the tank, these hydrocarbons are vented into the atmosphere which is considered as a main source of emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in oil terminals. VOCs emitted from the crude oil not only create severe air pollution problems but also a considerable amount of valuable hydrocarbons are wasted to the atmosphere. On the other hand, VOCs are flammable which create major safety hazards to the loading process. Therefore, the oil industry has largely focused on control of VOCs. In this research, an experimental study was conducted to characterize VOCs emitted from storage tanks of crude oil in a large-scale oil export terminal. Using the industrial data and simple mathematical tools, effect of different parameters on the composition of emitted gases was investigated. Furthermore, an experimental procedure is proposed to assess the potential of a crude oil absorption process for recovering emitted gases. Experimental results showed that the crude oil absorption process can be adapted to the situation of considered marine terminal for recovering this vent stream of emitted gases. This work can help plant engineers to decide on an appropriate strategy to control VOCs.     

油页岩利用过程粉尘爆炸研究现状及趋势分析

在石油资源日益紧张的形势下,我国油页岩资源的开发利用正得到前所未有的重视,但其利用过程潜在的粉尘爆炸危险性并未引起关注。对国内外有关油页岩粉尘着火、爆炸的文献进行了综述,约旦学者对油页岩粉尘爆炸下限、着火温度及惰化粉尘对下限的影响进行了持续性的研究。国内学者多涉及油页岩利用工艺的研究,只注重页岩油蒸气的爆炸风险,多采用经验公式的方法进行分析,具有较大的局限性。根据爆炸风险控制原理,提出了油页岩粉尘防爆安全需要进一步进行的基础研究工作,突出了加强油页岩粉尘和蒸气杂混物爆炸机理研究的重要性。     

关于GB18218-2009标准中易燃气体临界量分析

分析了我国重大危险源辨识标准的修订工作及评价方法的研究状况。新标准明确监管对象为危险化学品,并通过设立危险化学品类别及其临界量的方式拓展了监管范围。我国采用的重大危险源评价方法着重关注危险物质的种类和数量,以物质的固有危险性作为评判依据,更符合我国危险化学品现状。利用蒸气云爆炸及沸腾液体扩展蒸气爆炸两类事故模型对GB18218-2009中临界量的易燃气体可能的致害范围进行模拟分析。研究认为,危险化学品重大危险源的辨识是在物质固有危险性的基础上,综合考虑了事故发生频率、次要危险性、化学反应活性及对环境影响等诸多因素。     

硫酸储罐爆炸事故分析及预防

介绍了山东省某化工有限公司苯胺厂的工人在废硫酸罐顶部焊接管线时发生的一起废硫酸罐爆炸事故。通过对事故发生经过及现场情况的调查分析,找出了导致事故发生的原因,由于废硫酸罐耐酸瓷瓦破损,废硫酸渗漏与罐体接触反应产生的氢气,与由苯-稀硫酸萃取分离器串入废硫酸罐的苯或硝基苯蒸气及罐内空气混合形成爆炸性混合物,遇到因违章操作产生的明火、高温发生爆炸。通过对这次事故的详细描述、分析,在吸取事故教训的基础上,提出了相应的预防措施,为预防类似事故的发生提供参考。