• Journal of the Korean Society for Geothermal and Hydrothermal Energy
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.21-28
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• 2018

This paper presents two-step simulations to calculate the influence of blast-induced pressures on explosion-protection valves installed at the boundary between a protection facility and a tunnel entering the facility. The first step is to calculate the respective overpressure on the entrance and exit of the tunnel when an explosion occurs near the tunnel entrance and exit to approach the protection facility. Secondly, the blast pressures on the explosion-protection valves mounted to walls located near the tunnel inside approaching the protection facility are analyzed with a 0.1 ms time variation using the results obtained from the first-step calculations. The following conclusions could be derived as a results: (1) The analysis of the entrance tunnel scenario, P1, leads to the maximum overpressure of 47 kPa, approximately a half of the ambient pressure, at the inner entrance due to the effect of blast barrier. For the scenario, P2, the case not blocked by the barrier, the maximum overpressure is 628 kPa, which is relatively high, namely, 5.2 times the ambient pressure. (2) It is observed that the pressure for the entrance tunnel is effectively mitigated because the initial blast pressures are partially offset from each other according to the geometry of the entrance and a portion of the pressures is discharged to the outside.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.91-97
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• 2014

purpose of this study was to conduct status survey on existing shelter facilities for residents and use it as basic material to plan and design improved shelter facilities in the future. As the result, first, although existing shelter facilities are judged to have been designed in consideration only of the protection from high explosive shells, actual protection capability is significantly low against high explosive shells when exit direction and protection capabilities of main entrances were investigated. Second, all the 7 facilities did not have air purifier with filters installed for the air that flows into the inside from outside and since the height of air exhausts and intake pipes in the outside are also close to the earth, there are possibilities that heavy contaminated air can flow into the inside. Third, although some facilities have anti-explosion doors installed, it is impossible to use them as chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) shelter because of improper installation of openings and anti-explosion valves as well as poor plumbing that cannot ensure air-tightness and poor finish of piping penetration.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.48-55
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• 2015

A variety of safety issues were investigated for chemical reactors using a toluene solvent in case of a fire at small to middle scale chemical plants. The issues covered the operation of pressure-relieving valves and the subsequent discharges of the toluene to the atmosphere either directly or through an absorber, which represent the current practice at most small chemical plants. It was shown that the safety valve on the reactor may not operate within about twenty minutes after an external fire breaks out, but, once relieved, the toluene vapor released directly to the atmosphere may form a large explosion range on the ground. It was also shown that if the discharge is routed to an existing absorber used for the scrubbing of volatile organic compounds or dusts, the column may not operate normally due to excessive pressure drops or flooding, resulting in the hazardous release of toluene vapors. This study proposed two ways of alleviating these risks. The first is to ruduce the discharge itself from the safety valve by using adequate insulation and protection covers on the reactor and then introduce it into the circulation water at the bottom of the absorber through a dip linet pipe equipped with a ring-shaped sparger. This will enhance the condensation of toluene vapors with the reduced effluent vapors treated in the packing layers above. The second is to install a separate quench drum to condense the routed toluene vapors more effectively than the existing absorber.