• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2024

This paper employs stochastic processing techniques to analyze explosion risks in plant facilities based on explosion return periods. Release probability is calculated using data from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), along with annual leakage frequency per plant provided by DNV. Ignition probability, derived from various researchers' findings, is then considered to calculate the explosion return period based on the release quantity. The explosion risk is assessed by examining the volume, radius, and blast load of the vapor cloud, taking into account the calculated explosion return period. The reference distance for the design blast load model is determined by comparing and analyzing the vapor cloud radius according to the return period, historical vapor cloud explosion cases, and blast-resistant design guidelines. Utilizing the multi-energy method, the blast load range corresponding to the explosion return period is presented. The proposed return period serves as a standard for the design blast load model, established through a comparative analysis of vapor cloud explosion cases and blast-resistant design guidelines. The outcomes of this study contribute to the development of a performance-based blast-resistant design framework for plant facilities.

• Architectural research
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.151-158
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• 2013

Offshore oil and gas process plants are exposed to hazardous accidents such as explosion and fire, so that the structural components should resist such accidental loads. Given the possibilities of thousands of different scenarios for the occurrence of an accidental hazard, the best way to predict a reasonable size of a specific accidental load would be the employment of a probabilistic approach. Having the fact that a specific procedure for probabilistic accidental hazard analysis has not yet been established especially for explosion and fire hazards, it is widely accepted that engineers usually take simple and conservative figures in assuming uncertainties inherent in the procedure, resulting either in underestimation or more likely in overestimation in the topside structural design for offshore plants. The variation in the results of a probabilistic approach is determined by the assumptions accepted in the procedures of explosion probability computation, explosion analysis, and structural analysis. A design overpressure load for a sample offshore plant is determined according to the proposed probabilistic approach in this study. CFD analysis results using a Flame Acceleration Simulator, FLACS_v9.1, are utilized to create an overpressure hazard curve. Moreover, the negative impulse and frequency contents of a blast wave are considerably influencing structural responses, but those are completely ignored in a widely used triangular form of blast wave. An idealistic blast wave profile deploying both negative and positive pulses is proposed in this study. A topside process module and piperack with blast wall are 3D FE modeled for structural analysis using LS-DYNA. Three different types of blast wave profiles are applied, two of typical triangular forms having different impulse and the proposed load profile. In conclusion, it is found that a typical triangular blast load leads to overestimation in structural design.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.10 no.3 s.32
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• pp.48-53
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• 2006

In case of fire and explosion which resulted from LP gas release of LPG vessel retail store, the populated area such as apartment complex is supposed to be damaged either partially or totally. To estimate the damage of LP gas explosion, we conducted quantitative risk analysis procedure as has been recommended by AIChE/CCPS. For incident scenario selection, event tree analysis was proposed. TNT equivalent method, SAFER Trace v.8.0 and probit model were also used for consequence analysis. The various methods and analyses which were performed in this study are presented with the effect zones in the layout.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.19 no.1 s.57
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• pp.20-28
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• 2005

Major petrochemical companies in the USA and the EU map out the strategies step-by-step hazard evaluation for the efficient risk management. They adopted the risk screening methods, such as Dow fire & explosion index, as a preliminary phase to execute detailed evaluation such as QRA (Quantitative Risk Assessment). In this study, The FEDI (Fire & Explosion Damage Index), which a kind of risk screening method proposed by Khan and Abbasi, was applied to the BTX plant in Korea. We showed that the FEDI can be effectively used to classify the hazard potential by comparison of the result from the FEDI and the result from QRA. And we showed that the characteristics and the quantities of chemical are the factors which have a largest effect on fire and explosion by executing relative sensitivity analysis of the FEDI. In conclusion, if the FEDI was applied as a preliminary phase of HAZOP, more efficient hazard evaluation can be possible.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.20 no.1 s.61
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• pp.6-14
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• 2006

The data of city gas accidents has been collected and analysed for not only predictions of the fire and explosion accidents but also the criteria of societal risk. The accidents of the recent 11 years have been broken up into such 3 groups roughly as "release", "explosion", "fire" d 16 groups in detail. Owing to the Poisson probability distribution functions, 'careless work-explosion-pipeline' and 'joint loosening & erosion-release-pipeline' items respectively have turned out to record the lowest and most frequency among the recent 11-years accidents. And thus the proper counteractions must be carried out. In order to assess the societal risks tendency of the fatal gas accidents and set the more obvious safety policies up, the D. O. Hogon equation and the regression method has been used to range the acceptable range in the F-N curve of the cumulative casualties. The further works requires setting up successive database on the fire and explosion accidents systematically to obtain reliable analyses. Also the standard codification will be demanded.

• International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.135-148
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• 2017

Topside areas on an offshore oil and gas platform are highly susceptible to explosion. A blast wall on these areas plays an important role in preventing explosion damage and must withstand the expected explosion loads. The uniformly distributed loading condition, predicted by Explosion Risk Analyses (ERAs), has been applied in most of the previous analysis methods. However, analysis methods related to load conditions are inaccurate because the blast overpressure around the wall tends to be of low-level in the open area and high-level in the enclosed area. The main objectives of this paper are to study the effects of applying different load applications and compare the dynamic responses of the blast wall. To do so, various kinds of blast pressures were measured by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations on the target area. Nonlinear finite element analyses of the blast wall under two types of identified dynamic loadings were also conducted.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.58-65
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• 2012

Various models are currently applied to predict the dispersion of leaked combustible gas and overpressure from a vapor cloud explosion(VCE). However, those models use simple approaches where topography and barriers of anti-leakage facilities and the effects of buildings were not sufficiently taken into considerations. For this reason, this study has proposed the dispersion process of leaked gas, distribution patterns, and flames and overpressure generated from gas explosions in 2D and 3D virtual spaces by reviewing more accurately analyzable computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model by considering various variables including combustion types of leaked substances, geometry of facility, warm currents, barriers, the influence of wind, and others. The CFD analysis results are anticipated to be usefully applied for the risk analysis of explosion and for the risk-based design.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.223-229
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• 2014

This study investigated the explosion characteristics of HCNG fuel using a simulation tool. The damage caused by the storage container explosion and vapor cloud explosion in a gas station was predicted. In case of an vapor cloud explosion in the HCNG station, 50~200kPa explosion pressure was predicted inside the station. When the cylinder explosion was occurred, in case of hydrogen, the measured influential distance of overpressure was 59m and radiant heat was 75m. In case of CNG, influential distance of overpressure was 89m and radiant heat was 144m would be estimated. In case of 30% HCNG that was blended with hydrogen and CNG, influential distance of overpressure was 81m and radiant heat was 130m were measured. The damage distance that explosive overpressure and radiant heat influenced CNG was seen as the highest. HCNG that was placed between CNG and hydrogen tended to be seen as more similar with CNG.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.52-60
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• 2014

This study aims to suggest risk management plan including safety measures through hazard identification followed by consequence analysis in petrochemical plants. Consequence analysis was performed through practical release scenario by using PHAST RISK(ver. 6.7) software in the propylene recovery process(PRP). As results, consequences by fire or explosion accidents in the depropanizer zone, deethanizer zone and heat pump zone were relatively larger than other else zones among six process zones in the PRP. In the case of jet fire, it is recommendable not to install residence building within 200 m of the process zone. Additionally, process zones having large inventory or high pressure must be prevented from accidents and required to establish quick response against accidents.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.3 no.2 s.7
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• pp.77-84
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• 1999

The XX company that is handling the class IV hazardous materials, located in Bu-Chon City and the LPG station in front of the XX company which is about 20 meters apart, was chosen as the standard model for this study In carrying out the consequence analysis, PHAST and Super-Chems were used for the study and utilizing the output of the simulation, we have evaluated the consequences throughout the probit analysis and explosion overpressure analysis. In case of Acetone, the effect distance of the damage on facilities-that is the result of radiation heat flux of $37.5kW/m^2$ by TNO model-is 68.51m by PHAST model and 40.93m by Super-Chem model. The risk assessment of the LPG station which is based on the explosion resulted as the analysis of the fire ball showed the diameter 125.2m, the height 206.2m and the duration 11.28sec and the effect distance for the radiant heat flux $37.5kW/m^2$ was 137.0m.