• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.111-120
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• 2016

This is an experimental study to analyze the explosion and fire hazards of mobile phone batteries. Using the lithium-ion batteries currently used on smart phone as the experiment samples, the experiments were conducted by overcharging, internal and external short circuit, and thermal shock with the potential of explosion and fire caused by careless use or abnormal conditions. The experiment results showed that, in the case of overcharging and external short circuit, there was no explosion and fire hazard in the normal operation of the protection circuit module (PCM), but there were big risks when the PCM faulted conditions were assumed. In the case of the experiments by internal short circuit and thermal shock, such risks varied depending on a battery charge state. In other words, it could be verified that there were low risks of explosion and fire in a full discharge state, but there were high risks in a full charge state. These experiment results suggest that to minimize the explosion and fire hazards of mobile phone batteries, an alarm device is necessary when the PCM fault occurs. In addition, a solid battery case should be made and safety equipment, such as a cooling device to avoid high temperature, is needed.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.48-56
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• 2016

A crude oil leakage from a large atmospheric storage tank occurred on 4 April 2014 at 14:50 in Ulsan City, while storing the crude oil in the tank. Emergency Rescue Control Group was deployed in the scene. The company, Fire Service Headquarters and associated agencies got together in Command Post (CP) for discussing an effective corresponding strategy. Many solution plans were drafted in the debate such as power down, stopping the facilities, checking the density of inflammable gas, suppressing oil evaporation, moving the leaked crude oil to a nearby tank and a processing plant and avoiding marine pollution. All the solutions were carried out in cooperation with several agencies and partners. The oil leakage accident was successfully settled up within the process of responding, The Fire Service Headquarters and the company thought that the most important thing was the suppression of oil evaporation and the elimination of ignition source. With Fire Service Headquarters and several agencies' every effort, an explosion and a fire didn't occurred in the scene. This study suggest the improvement of the operating system in Emergency Rescue Control Group in case of petroleum leakage, explosion and fire accidents of atmospheric storage tank, different from a ordinary disaster. Assuming that petroleum leakage in atmospheric storage tank develop the explosion and fire accidents, the spreading speed of the flame and the burning time was experimented and compared with each other. Furthermore, this study concentrates on the effective field response plan prepared for the afterward explosion and fire accidents from petroleum leak in a storage tank, with the database experimented and analyzed in accordance with the angle of radiation in the foam nozzle and the pressure of pumping in a fire engine.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.811-818
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• 2018

A fire and explosion accident caused by a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) welding and cutting torch gas leak occurred 10 m underground at the site of reinforcement work for bridge columns, killing four people and seriously injuring ten. We conducted a comprehensive investigation into the accident to identify the fundamental causes of the explosion by analyzing the structure of the construction site and the properties of propane, which was the main component of LPG welding and cutting work used at the site. The range between the lower and upper explosion limits of leaking LPG for welding and cutting work was examined using Le Chatelier's formula; the behavior of LPG concentration change, which included dispersion and concentration change, was analyzed using the fire dynamic simulator (FDS). We concluded that the primary cause of the accident was combustible LPG that leaked from a welding and cutting torch and formed a explosion range between the lower and upper limits. When the LPG contacted the flame of the welding and cutting torch, LPG explosion occurred. The LPG explosion power calculation was verified by the blast effect computation program developed by the Department of Defense Explosive Safety Board (DDESB). According to the fire simulation results, we concluded that the welding and cutting torch LPG leak caused the gas explosion. This study is useful for safety management to prevent accidents caused by LPG welding and cutting work at construction sites.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.99-106
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• 2024

In the event of an emergency such as facility shutdown during process operation, the by-product gas must be urgently discharged to the vent stack to prevent leakage, fire, and explosion. At this time, the explosion drop value of the released by-product gas is calculated using ISO 10156 formula, which is 27.7 vol%. Therefore, it does not correspond to flammable gas because it is less than 13% of the explosion drop value, which is the standard for flammable gas defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and since the explosion drop value is high, it can be seen that the risk of fire explosion is low even if it is discharged urgently with the vent stock. As a result of calculating the range of explosion hazard sites for hydrogen gas discharged to the Bent Stack according to KS C IEC 60079-10-1, 23 meters were calculated. Since hydrogen is lighter than air, electromechanical devices should not be installed within 23 meters of the upper portion of the Bent Stack, and if it is not possible, an explosion-proof electromechanical device suitable for type 1 of dangerous place should be installed. In addition, the height of the stack should be at least 5 meters so that the diffusion of by-product gas is facilitated in case of emergency discharge, and it should be installed so that there are no obstacles around it.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.4 no.3 s.11
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• pp.9-18
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• 2000

Accident analysis are useful in the design stage of chemical plants and their surrounding structures. Also, analysis results are required for safety management of existing plants. In this paper, the fire and explosion effect by BTX released was evaluated. The computer program was prepared for accident analysis and adopted for evaluating the magnitude of fire (pool fire) and explosion (UVCE) effect. The thermal radiation was used as a measure of fire magnitude and the overpressure as a measure of explosion magnitude. And probit analysis was made for each case. As a case study, benzene tank model was used. The simulation results of explosion of benzene showed that the damage within 20 meters from the accident spot was severe and the damage beyond 60 meters was negligible. The simulation results of fire of benzene showed that the damage in summer is bigger than that in winter. And the damage of city located inland seems to be bigger than that of city in seaside. And thermal radiation effects was negligible beyond 40 meters-distance from the accident spot.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.37-45
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• 2019

The characteristic of fire and explosion related to electrostatic discharge is that it is difficult to reproduce the electrostatic charge and discharge phenomenon in addition to the large human and material damage. Therefore, in order to prevent accidents and disasters related to electrostatic in fire and explosion hazard areas, it is important to manage the level of electrostatic in a safe manner from the perspective of system between industrial facilities and human bodies. Rule 325 of the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations, "Prevention of Fire / Explosion due to Electrostatic", requires the use of grounding, conductive materials, humidification and electrification in order to prevent the risk of disaster caused by static explosion and electrostatic in the production process. In order to comply with these measures, related technologies, standards and systems are needed from the viewpoint of preventive measures related to electrostatic in fire and explosion hazard areas, but in Korea, it is still insufficient. Therefore, technical, institutional and managerial measures are needed as a precautionary measure to improve the level of ESD safety in fire and explosion hazard areas and prevent electrostatic related injury. In Korea, we analyzed the current status and characteristics of electrostatic related disaster by using the statistics of industrial accident and fire statistics of the Ministry of Employment and Labor. We also analyzed the current status and characteristics of electrostatic related disasters in Japan using JNIOSH accidents and disasters investigation cases and JNIOSH fire accident data of Japan Fire Bureau. The purpose of this study is to compare and analyze the current status of electrostatic related accidents and disasters in Korea and Japan in order to improve the safety management of electrostatic in fire and explosion hazard areas. In order to prevent accidents and disasters in the industrial field, The technical, institutional, and managerial measures to manage the level of electrostatic in a safe state were derived from the system point of view.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.109-116
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• 2021

The explosion of a chemical tanker ship during cargo transshipment via double-banking at Ulsan Port, resulted in major damage including fires involving nearby ships. As a follow-up measure to prevent the recurrence of similar accidents, the 'Safety Management of Dangerous Goods in Port' was established, and the designation of a transshipment pier for dangerous goods is required given the risk of explosion and the impact on major facilities in the port. This study evaluated the Fire & Explosion Index of major transshipment cargoes in Ulsan Port to design a transshipment pier based on the Explosion Risk Assessment. Based on the results of Fire & Explosion Index evaluation of styrene monomer and benzene, severe explosion risk was confirmed, and the exposure radius was calculated. Based on the results of the exposure radius, the risk range for each major pier was calculated, and 12 terminals were proposed as transshipment pier candidates considering port facilities, surrounding dangerous facilities, and residential aspects. Since the results of the study suggest transshipment piers based on the risk radius alone, maritime traffic safety, pier and mooring facilities, safety facilities and accessibility for emergency response should be considered comprehensively to designate actual transshipment piers.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.25-31
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• 2017

The flash point, explosion limits, autoignition temperature(AIT) are important combustible properties which need special concern in the chemical safety process that handle hazardous substances. For the evaluation of the flammable properties of n-butylacetate, this study was investigated the explosion limits of n-butylacetate in the reference data. The flash points, fire points and AIT by the ignition delay time of n-butylacetate were experimented. The lower flash points of n-butylacetate by using the Setaflash and Pensky-Martens closed-cup testers were $24^{\circ}C$ and $26^{\circ}C$, respectively. The flash points of n-butylacetate using the Tag and Cleveland open cup testers are measured $31^{\circ}C$ and $40^{\circ}C$, respectively. And the fire points of n-butylacetate by the Tag and Cleveland open cup testers were measured $32^{\circ}C$ and $41^{\circ}C$. The AIT of n-butylacetate measured by the ASTM 659E tester was measured as $411^{\circ}C$. The lower explosion limit of lower flash point $24^{\circ}C$, which was measured by the Setaflash tester, was calculated to be 1.40 vol%. Also, the upper explosion limit of upper flash point $67^{\circ}C$ the Setaflash tester was calculated to be 12.5 vol%.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.45-50
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• 2013

Resorcinol is widely used as a wood, tire adhesives, and a raw material of synthetic dye. This material with white crystals at room temperature, the particulates in the air can form explosive mixtures. It is known to be an explosion hazard when exposed to heat in a confined space. The study was evaluated fire and explosion characteristics of the resorcinol through thermal analysis, thermal stability, dust explosion characteristics, and the minimum ignition energy. From this study, it can be used to provide a safety information in the using and handling process of the resorcinol.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.114-119
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• 2011

Explosion limit and flash point are the major combustion properties used to determine the fire and explosion hazards of the flammable substances. In this study, in order to predict upper explosion limits (UEL) for acids and ketones, the upper flash point of these were measured under the VLE (vaporliquid equilibrium) state by using Setaflash closed cup tester (ASTM D3278). The UELs calculated by Antoine equation by using the experimental upper flash point are usually lower than the several reported UELs. From the given results, using the proposed experimental and predicted method, it is possible to research the upper explosion limits of the other flammable substances.