工业粉尘“二次爆炸”过程研究

开展了工业粉尘“二次爆炸”过程实验室研究工作。对玉米淀粉、小麦粉等粮食粉尘进行了研究，得到了“二次爆炸”发展过程以及最后形成的爆轰波特性，还进一步研究了粉尘层冲击波卷扬过程和分析讨论了粉尘“二次爆炸”过程的影响因素。     

Airbag for the closing of pipelines on explosions and leakages

This paper is a result of international effort aimed at the construction of a device for quick closing of pipelines in the case of explosion propagation and/or chemical leakage. Such a problem exists in industries where flammable substances are transported by pipelines. The basic solution principle was the idea to use airbags similar to those utilized in cars.

Two pipeline applications were taken into consideration: a low-pressure module able to suppress explosion propagation and a high-pressure module to stop leakages from, e.g. natural gas pipeline capable to be used for duct diameters up to 0.6 m, pressures up to 5 MPa and reaction times of 50 ms. It was necessary to construct a new airbag, capable of withstanding up to 10 bar pressure. The choice of material was critical to ensure sufficient strength and chemical resistance while retaining impermeability.

CFD modeling of the bag deployment into a pipe flow and analysis of the bag shapes was also completed. Two gas generators were constructed and tested with novel propellant materials.

Different airbag models were tested to evaluate their effectiveness. Risk analysis approach was applied to evaluate the safety and economic benefits of the new technology in different fields of application.     

Minimum Ignition Temperature of layer and cloud dust mixtures

The prevention of dust explosions is still a challenge for the process industry. Ignition, in particular, is a phenomenon that is still not completely understood. As a consequence, safety conditions pertaining to ignition suppression are rarely identified to an adequate level. It is well known that, in general, the ignition attitude of a dust depends on several factors, such as the nature of the chemical, the particle size, moisture content, etc., but there is still a lack of knowledge on the effect of the single variables.This paper has the aim of providing data on the Minimum Ignition Temperatures of dust mixtures obtained from a mixing of a combustible dust (flour, lactose, sucrose, sulphur) and an inert dust (limestone, extinguishing powders) as well as from the mixing of two different combustible dusts. Various mixtures with different weight ratios have been tested in a Godbert Greenwald (GG) furnace and on a hot plate in order to measure the effect of mixture composition on the Minimum Ignition Temperature (MIT_L) of the layer and on the Minimum Ignition Temperature (MIT_C) of the cloud. In order to further verify the effects of inert dust particle size, inerts sieved to different size ranges have been tested separately. Generally, both MIT_L and MIT_C increase as the inert content is increased. MIT_C is poorly affected by inert particle size when limestone is used. The MIT_L of pure flour is higher than the MIT_L of mixtures containing up to 40% of 32–75 μm of limestone. This was probably due to the behaviour of pure flour during the test, which demonstrated strong tendency to produce char, cracks in the layer and detachment from the hot plate.     

Dynamic response and effect of apertures on explosion parameters of flameproof apparatus

Explosion parameters for closed flameproof apparatus are changed when apertures like gap (e.g. push button) and porous structures (breathing element) are introduced on the cover or wall of the flameproof enclosures. Similarly, an interconnecting tube between two enclosures, results in significant change in explosion parameters. It is observed that the maximum explosion pressure, maximum rate of pressure rise and severity index are higher for enclosures with apertures on cover or body than that of enclosures without apertures. In case of two interconnected identical enclosures, the explosion parameters are increased in the secondary enclosure and higher than that of primary enclosure and also of isolated enclosure.     

Effect of flame propagation regime on pressure evolution of nano and micron PMMA dust explosions

Experiments using an open space dust explosion apparatus and a standard 20 L explosion apparatus on nano and micron polymethyl methacrylate dust explosions were conducted to reveal the differences in flame and pressure evolutions. Then the effect of combustion and flame propagation regimes on the explosion overpressure characteristics was discussed. The results showed that the flame propagation behavior, flame temperature distribution and ion current distribution all demonstrated the different flame structures for nano and micron dust explosions. The combustion and flame propagation of 100 nm and 30 μm PMMA dust clouds were mainly controlled by the heat transfer efficiency between the particles and external heat sources. Compared with the cluster diffusion dominant combustion of 30 μm dust flame, the premixed-gas dominant combustion of 100 nm dust flame determined a quicker pyrolysis and combustion reaction rate, a faster flame propagation velocity, a stronger combustion reaction intensity, a quicker heat release rate and a higher amount of released reaction heat, which resulted in an earlier pressure rise, a larger maximum overpressure and a higher explosion hazard class. The complex combustion and propagation regime of agglomerated particles strongly influenced the nano flame propagation and explosion pressure evolution characteristics, and limited the maximum overpressure.     

Inherently safer design in offshore oil and gas projects

Like all hazardous installations, inherently safer design (ISD) is one of the key tools in offshore oil and gas projects to minimize risks in offshore facilities. As the life cycle of offshore facilities is relatively short compared with onshore counterparts and there are many projects running every year, the potential is high for raising inherent safety standards and lowering safety risks throughout the offshore industry as old facilities are phased out. This paper gives an overview of offshore facilities and examples of implementation of ISD. Good examples of ISD are numerous. Industry guidance on ISD implementation abound. Yet, the systematic implementation of it in the industry is patchy. There are many reasons for factors which impede the effective, efficient and consistent implementation of ISD in projects. This paper describes some of them and proposes solution to address them. They include (a) the effective integration of ISD into hazard management systems with appropriate language to engage all disciplines in projects, (b) the phasing of resources to enable the project to capture ISD measures which are only available during early phases, (c) application of appropriate ISD goals and ISD performance metrics at various stages and (d) the appropriate use of quantified risk assessment to support ISD.     

API standard 521 guidance on mixing of hot/cold liquids and prevention of superheat limit explosions

American Petroleum Institute (API) standards and recommended practices have identified inadvertent mixing of hot and cold liquids as a potential cause for equipment overpressure since 1955. The limited guidance has been informative but provides minimal if any details on conditions that could cause an overpressure and its potential severity. Therefore, the user must interpret how and when to prevent and/or mitigate the scenario. This guidance has changed little over the years. In June 2020, API published the 7th Edition of API Standard 521 which now provides specific guidance as to conditions whereby pressure relief devices can be considered for protection and conditions where prevention remains as the only recourse. This paper discusses the basis for the revised guidance in API Standard 521 and includes supplemental guidance.     

Recent trends in rock dust modifications for improved dispersion and coal dust explosion mitigation

Underground coal mine explosions is perhaps the most hazardous danger in the coal mining industries. Efforts have been made to abate the coal dust explosion by applying rock dust either dry or wet. Dry dust has the best lift characteristic which efficiently quenches the flame propagation of a potential explosion. As a trade-off, undesired respirable dust particles are thereby generated imposing a severe health hazard on coal miners. Wet dusting is an alternative to dry dusting which significantly reduces the exposure to respirable dust particles. However, wet dust is subject to adverse caking issues which lead to a drastic reduction in the dispersibility of the particles. The present work summarizes the studies conducted to date regarding the surface modification of rock dust particles for the purpose of eliminating or alleviating the problems accompanying coal mine dusting applications, meanwhile improving the dispersive properties of dust particles and the ability to suppress the coal dust explosion.     

液化石油气罐区危险性的定量评价

液化石油气罐区的主要危险是贮罐区发生火灾、爆炸事故。运用数学模型对液化石油气贮罐的危险性进行定量化评价，估算其爆炸事故的严重程度、波及范围、影响程度等     

城镇燃气爆炸极限影响因素与计算误差的分析

可燃气体的爆炸极限是消防报警和安全使用燃气的重要参数之一 ,笔者对影响城市燃气爆炸极限的因素进行了讨论 ;同时指出有关文献上公布的燃气爆炸极限是一定条件下测定的 ,当空气中含有略低于文献公布爆炸下限或略高于文献公布爆炸上限的可燃气体 ,在一定的条件下也可能产生爆炸。对燃气爆炸极限的计算方法及其计算误差进行了分析 ,指出在使用测试或计算爆炸极限时应考虑安全系数