Guidelines for Vapor Cloud Explosion, Pressure Vessel Burst, BLEVE, and Flash Fire Hazards

Since 1985, the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) has been the world leader in developing and disseminating information on process safety management and technology. CCPS, an industry technology alliance of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), has published over 80 books in its process safety guidelines and process safety concepts series, and over 100 training modules through its Safety in Chemical Engineering Education (SACHE) series.

List of Tables. List of Figures.

Glossary.

Acknowledgements.

1. INTRODUCTION.

2. MANAGEMENT OVERVIEW.

2.1. Flash Fires.

2.2. Vapor Cloud Explosions.

2.3. Pressure Vessel Bursts.

2.4. BLEVEs.

2.5. Prediction methodologies.

3. CASE HISTORIES.

3.1. Historical experience.

3.2. Flash fires.

3.3. Vapor Cloud Explosions.

3.4. Pressure Vessel Burst.

3.5. BLEVE.

4. BASIC CONCEPTS.

4.1. Atmospheric Vapor Cloud Dispersion.

4.2. Ignition.

4.3. Thermal Radiation.

4.4. Explosions — VCE.

4.5. Blast Effects.

5. FLASH FIRES.

5.1. Overview of Experimental Research.

5.2. Flash-Fire Radiation Models.

5.3. Sample Calculations.

6. VAPOR CLOUD EXPLOSIONS.

6.1. Introduction.

6.2. Vapor Cloud Deflagration Theory and Research.

6.3. Vapor Cloud Detonation Theory and Research.

6.4. VCE Prediction Methods.

6.5. Sample problems.

7. PRESSURE VESSEL BURSTS.

7.1. Mechanism of a PVB.

7.2. Scaling Laws Used in PVB Analyses.

7.3. Blast Eeffects of Pressure-Vessel Bursts.

7.4. Methods for Predicting Blast Effects from Vessel Bursts.

7.5. Fragments from a PVB.

7.6. Predicting Fragment Effects from Vessel Bursts.

8. BASIC PRINCIPLES OF BLEVES.

8.1. Introduction.

8.2. Definition of a BLEVE.

8.3. Theory.

8.4. BLEVE Consequences.

8.5. Analytical Models.

8.6. Sample Problems.

9. REFERENCES.

APPENDIX A: VIEW FACTORS FOR SELECTED CONFIGURATIONS.

APPENDIX B: TABULATION OF SOME GAS PROPERTIES IN METRIC UNITS.

APPENDIX C: CONVERSION FACTORS TO SI FOR SELECTED QUANTITIES.