The boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion

The boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion (BLEVE) has existed for a long time and for most of this time it has been cloaked in mystery. Several theories have been put forward to explain this very energetic event but none have been proven. This paper describes a series of tests that have recently been conducted to study this phenomenon.

The study involved ASME code automotive propane tanks with nominal capacities of 400 litres. The tanks were exposed to a combination of pool and/or torch fires. These fire conditions led to thermal ruptures, and in some cases these ruptures resulted in BLEVEs. The variables in the tests were the pressure-relief valve setting, the tank wall thickness, and the fire condition.

In total, 30 tests have been conducted, of which 22 resulted in thermal ruptures. Of those tanks that ruptured, 11 resulted in what we call BLEVEs. In this paper, we have defined a BLEVE as the explosive release of expanding vapour and boiling liquid following a catastrophic tank failure. Non-BLEVEs involved tanks that ruptured but which only resulted in a prolonged jet release.

The objective of this study was to investigate why certain tank ruptures lead to a BLEVE rather than a more benign jet-type release. Data are presented to show how wall temperature, wall thickness, liquid temperature and fill level contribute to the BLEVE process.     

飞机撞击下核电厂安全壳载荷曲线相关问题研究

针对大型商用飞机对核电厂反应堆安全壳恶意撞击的安全评估需求,综述了国外确定飞机撞击安全壳载荷曲线的基础理论、试验测试技术和数值模拟方法.首先,从理论上对飞机撞击安全壳的载荷特性和Riera撞击模型进行分析,给出了Riera模型的基本假设、模型各项物理意义及模型的求解方法,明确了靶体碰撞表面的冲击载荷(力)由静载项和动载项组成;其次,分析总结了确定Riera模型中压损载荷参数的试验方法和真实飞机撞击载荷测量的试验技术和实施方法,指出大型商用飞机对核电厂反应堆安全壳恶意撞击属"软冲击"范畴,撞击载荷可用Riera模型计算得到;再者,在数值模拟方面,总结了采用有限元技术进行飞机撞击载荷计算和安全评估的数值模拟方法及其发展趋势;最后,在分析国内开展飞机撞击载荷研究面临问题的基础上,指出从理论上建立飞机撞击载荷-时间曲线计算模型及方法,并通过试验和数值模拟验证是国内确定大型商用飞机撞击安全壳结构载荷曲线比较可行的技术路线.     

屏蔽电机主泵双金属飞轮飞射物对承压边界完整性破坏作用

目的掌握反应堆冷却剂泵双金属飞轮飞射物对承压边界完整性的影响规律。方法基于ANSYS/LS-DYNA对飞轮保持环失效后钨合金块与承压边界的碰撞过程进行分析,模拟承压边界在重要因素(电机壳厚度、钨合金块数)的影响下对飞轮飞射物的包容过程。结果在保持飞射物入射初速度不变的情况下,当电机壳厚度小于118 mm时,发生非包容性失效。改变钨合金块数(4、8、12、16块),可以发现钨合金块数越多,飞射物对承压边界施加的破坏能量就越小。结论增加电机壳厚度、钨合金块数有利于承压边界能够很好地包容住所有飞射物。该研究成果对屏蔽电机主泵惰转飞轮的可靠性设计具有重要意义。     

Uncertainties in QRA: Analysis of losses of containment from piping and implications on risk prevention and mitigation

Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) is commonly used in the chemical industry to support decision-making. Common practices are based on standard methods, such as fault tree, event tree, etc.; in this frame, risk is a function of frequency of events (probability) and associated consequences (negative outcomes), but relevant uncertainties often are not properly taken into account in the derived results. This paper presents the application of an extended risk analysis of loss of containments for a case-study with the following aims: firstly, the uncertainties related to the results of the analysis, which derive from assumption in the application of the standard models, are qualitatively assessed; secondly the application allows evaluating the impact of the uncertainties on the trustworthiness of the results and, finally, commenting about their use in the risk prevention and mitigation.     

Assessment of the effect of technical and management characteristics on the frequency of release from piping: An application to a gas storage facility

The assessment of the frequencies of release from piping due to losses of containment is an essential step in the preparing Safety Reports, drawn up as required by the so-called “Seveso” Directive. These are usually calculated starting from the frequencies of random rupture included in international databases and are not plant-specific, furthermore, the quantification of the effect of the safety management system of the facility is not easy. A simple and flexible approach quantifying technical and management characteristics of the plant has been proposed by Milazzo and co-workers in 2010; it is based on the modification of the frequency taken from literature, through the use of the percentages of failure causes actually possible in that plant, and the judgment about their management. The data about the failure causes are taken from the literature and modified by using corrective factors to adapt them to the industrial context. To make possible the application of the method to a large number of major-hazard industry types, some aspects of the approach needed to be improved; these have been identified during a development project coordinated by RINA Consulting, on behalf of Saipem, with the collaboration of the University of Messina. The improvement of the approach focused on two main points, the development of a method to calculate the corrective factors for the failure causes associated with corrosion and erosion phenomena and the strengthening of the methodology for the formulation of the judgment about the safety management. This paper illustrates the fully improved method, as well as an application to a typical gas storage plant.     

文丘里洗涤过滤型FCVS性能评价述评及建议

通过调研对国内外文丘里洗涤过滤型FCVS性能评价进展进行了阐述与比较,指出国内开展文丘里洗涤过滤型FCVS出厂性能评价不全面,需进一步开展相关性能评价技术研究;FCVS在现场的安装质量如何,随着时间的推移性能变化如何,并未开展试验验证,结合法规要求等,建议开展FCVS现场试验评价技术的研究。     

Analysis of underlying causes of investigated loss of containment incidents in Dutch Seveso plants using the Storybuilder method

In the Netherlands there are around 400 “Seveso” sites that fall under the Dutch Major Hazards Decree (BRZO) 1999. Between 2006 and 2010 the Dutch Labour Inspectorate's Directorate for Major Hazard Control completed investigations of 118 loss of containment incidents involving hazardous substances from this group. On the basis of investigation reports the incidents were entered in a tailor-made tool called Storybuilder developed for the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment for identifying the dominant patterns of technical safety barrier failures, barrier task failures and underlying management causes associated with the resulting loss of control events. The model is a bow-tie structure with six lines of defence, three on either side of the central loss of containment event. In the first line of defence, failures in the safety barriers leading to loss of control events were primarily equipment condition failures, pre start-up and safeguarding failures and process deviations such as pressure and flow failures. These deviations, which should have been recovered while still within the safe envelope of operation, were missed primarily because of inadequate indication signals that the deviations have occurred. Through failures of subsequent lines of defence they are developing into serious incidents. Overall, task failures are principally failures to provide adequate technical safety barriers and failures to operate provided barriers appropriately. Underlying management delivery failures were mainly found in equipment specifications and provisions, procedures and competence. The competence delivery system is especially important for identifying equipment condition, equipment isolation for maintenance, pre-start-up status and process deviations. Human errors associated with operating barriers were identified in fifty per cent of cases, were mostly mistakes and feature primarily in failure to prevent deviations and subsequently recover them. Loss of control associated with loss of containment was primarily due to the containment being bypassed (72% of incidents) and less to material strength failures (28%). Transfer pipework, connections in process plant and relief valves are the most frequent release points and the dominant release material is extremely flammable. It is concluded that the analysis of a large number of incidents in Storybuilder can support the quantification of underlying causes and provide evidence of where the weak points exist in major hazard control in the prevention of major accidents.     

基于互相关时差法的核电安全壳泄漏定位方法研究

目的 基于声发射检测原理,探究一种适用于核电安全壳的泄漏定位方法。方法 首先,开展安全壳结构的声波传播特性研究;其次,基于时频分析,对安全壳泄漏产生的声信号进行滤波预处理,基于分布式传感网络,利用互相关系数曲线,估计不同传感器信号时延;最后,采用双曲线法,对泄漏源进行定位,得到定位观测点,对观测点进行离散系数加权,得到预测泄漏源位置。结果 安全壳上波速平均值为3 026.2 m/s,泄漏声信号的频带主要集中在15~80 kHz,没有明显的时域特征。采用该方法对模拟安全壳上的泄漏源进行定位,平均定位误差为4.31 cm。结论 安全壳上周向和轴向的波速差异不大,可近似认为是各项同性的。基于离散系数加权的互相关时差法定位效果良好,满足安全壳结构泄漏定位需求。     

Towards an inherently safer bioprocessing industry: A review

The bioprocessing industry is regarded as one of the fastest growing sectors with an estimated compound annual growth rate of 8.6%. The global market for biopharmaceuticals is projected to rise to a market value of USD 727.1 billion by 2025. Due to the unique nature of bioprocessing industries wherein micro-organisms are employed to manufacture the desired products, these processes are prone to additional hazards such as biological hazards and dust explosion amongst others. This necessitates the need to review the existing research in the fields of biotechnology and bioprocessing to reduce/eliminate these hazards and pave the path towards a safer bioprocessing industry. The study involves developing a framework comprising of studying the recent technologies that reduce/eliminate these hazards involved in the bioprocessing industries that include dust explosions, loss of containment of toxic chemicals, loss of containment of biohazard/active product ingredient, fire, and explosion and mapping these technologies with respect to inherent safety principles that include substitution, minimization, moderation and simplification with an overall objective of minimizing the risk associated with bioprocesses and moving towards an inherently safer bioprocessing industry.     

危化品泄漏围堵材料理化性能及燃烧行为研究

针对易燃液体泄漏围堵问题,开发了1种可快速发泡的酚醛泡沫材料,对其表观密度、耐水性、耐酸性、耐碱性、氧指数、燃烧行为及产烟成分进行系统研究。研究结果表明:发泡材料在中性和酸性液体环境中表现出良好的耐受性;在碱性环境中稳定性降低,由于共轭效应,导致分子中的H+遇碱性环境发生中和反应;发泡材料的氧指数和锥形量热测试参数（热释放速率、总热释放量及总生烟量等）表明该材料具有良好的耐火性;发泡原料中的含硫交联剂是其燃烧产烟生成较高浓度SO2的主要原因。