Calculating overpressure from BLEVE explosions

Although a certain number of authors have analyzed the prediction of boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion (BLEVE) and fireball effects, only very few of them have proposed methodologies for predicting the overpressure from such explosions. In this paper, the methods previously published are discussed and shown to introduce a significant overestimation due to the erroneous thermodynamic assumptions—ideal gas behaviour and isentropic vapour expansion—on which they are based (in fact, they give the maximum value of overpressure which can be caused by a BLEVE). A new approach is proposed, based on the—more realistic—assumption of an adiabatic and irreversible expansion process; the real properties of the substance involved in the explosion are used. The two methods are compared through the application to a given case.     

Influence of laneway support spacing on methane/air explosion shock wave

A laneway support system provides an available way to solve problems related to ground movements in underground coal mines, but also poses another potential hazard. Once a methane/air explosion occurs in a laneway, inappropriate design parameters of the support system, especially the support spacing, likely have a negative influence on explosion disaster effects. The commercial software package AutoReaGas, a computational fluid dynamics code suitable for gas explosions, was used to carry out the numerical investigation for the methane/air explosion and blast process in a straight laneway with different support spacing. The validity of the numerical method was verified by the methane/air explosion experiment in a steel tube. Laneway supports can promote the development of turbulence and explosion, and also inhibit the propagation of flame and shock wave. For the design parameters in actual laneway projects, the fluid dynamic drag due to the laneway support plays a predominant role in a methane/air explosion. There is an uneven distribution of the peak overpressure on the same cross section in the laneway, and the largest overpressure is near the laneway walls. Different support spacing can cause obvious differences for the distributions of the shock wave overpressure and impulse. Under comparable conditions, the greater destructive effects of explosion shock wave are seen for the laneway support system with larger spacing. The results presented in this work provide a theoretical basis for the optimized design of the support system in coal laneways and the related safety assessments.     

LPG球罐BLEVE过程中超压与热耦合效应模拟研究

为评估LPG球罐发生BLEVE过程中超压与热耦合效应对化工企业抗爆控制室和避难所选址的影响,采用TNO多能法数学模型计算冲击波超压,采用多源数学模型计算火球热辐射。编写MATLAB计算程序,并应用ANSYS模拟二者破坏效应的耦合作用。LPG球罐发生BLEVE过程中,爆炸冲击波的传播速度、持续时间和火球的传播速度、持续时间不同,爆炸冲击波主要在燃料高速抛散的初期形成,之后基本与火球脱离。分别模拟计算冲击波超压和火球热辐射对抗爆控制室和避难所的影响,结果表明：抗爆控制室选址只需考虑爆炸冲击波的影响;避难所选址需要考虑冲击波超压和火球热辐射作用双重影响。在研究基础上提出,LPG球罐附近人员逃生的避难所应设置在球罐防火堤外紧邻防火堤处的地下,应具有抗震、防渗、防火、防中毒窒息等功能。人员应在BLEVE发生前进入避难所才能逃生。     

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.     

A methodology to predict shock overpressure decay in a tunnel produced by a premixed methane/air explosion

A methodology for estimating the blast wave overpressure decay in air produced by a gas explosion in a closed-ended tunnel is proposed based on numerical simulations. The influence of the tunnel wall roughness is taken into account in studying a methane/air mixture explosion and the subsequent propagation of the resulting shock wave in air. The pressure time-history is obtained at different axial locations in the tunnel outside the methane/air mixture. If the shock overpressure at two, or more locations, is known, the value at other locations can be determined according to a simple power law. The study demonstrates the accuracy of the proposed methodology to estimate the overpressure change with distance for shock waves in air produced by methane/air mixture explosions. The methodology is applied to experimental data in order to validate the approach.     

爆炸冲击环境下内凹蜂窝型梯度结构响应特性研究*

为提升应急救援人员防护服抗爆能力,减少爆炸事故中人员伤亡数量,以内凹蜂窝型梯度结构为研究对象,采用爆炸冲击实验与数值有限元法相结合的研究手段,通过改变胞元尺寸与胞元凹角对梯度蜂窝结构进行优化,分析梯度结构在爆炸冲击环境下冲击波衰减效率和力学响应规律。结果表明:同等质量条件下,内凹蜂窝结构尺寸梯度为2.58 mm-3.40 mm-2.58 mm、角度梯度30°-22.5°-30°时对冲击波的衰减效应最佳,衰减效率分别为85.44%,82.29%。研究结果可为同时满足轻质、高强抗爆要求的防护服结构设计提供技术支撑。     

煤矿巷道瓦斯爆炸传播规律及破坏效应分析

井下瓦斯爆炸的影响因素众多,随机性强,分析和研究瓦斯爆炸的传播规律只有通过巷道模拟实验的方法。通过对爆炸过程中爆炸压力、温度、速度等相关参数随时间、空间的变化规律的分析,进一步研究瓦斯爆炸的机理和破坏效应,在煤矿生产过程中采取合适的阻隔防爆技术措施,减少瓦斯爆炸带来的损失。     

煤与瓦斯突出冲击波及瓦斯气流所致伤害研究

为揭示煤与瓦斯突出过程中冲击波及瓦斯气流传播特性,针对这种突出做功随瓦斯压力、煤的普氏系数和煤的放散初速度变化的特征,运用气体动力学理论,建立冲击波超压、冲击瓦斯流速度与传播距离以及煤层瓦斯压力等参数的关系,计算不同超压下瓦斯气流传播伤害的范围.理论计算与现场测试结果表明,突出冲击波属惰性弱冲击波;波阵面上的超压传播伤害距离与突出时瓦斯膨胀的强度、巷道断面及巷道壁面的摩擦力和局部阻力等因素有关;冲击产生的高压瓦斯气流是造成巷道内大量人员窒息伤亡的主要诱因;突出能量瞬间释放没有补给,冲击波及瓦斯气流会在巷道阻力等因素作用下迅速衰减.     

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.