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Journal of loss prevention in the process industries
Butterworth-Heinemann Turpin Transactions Ltd.
Journal of loss prevention in the process industries

Butterworth-Heinemann Turpin Transactions Ltd.

0950-4230

Journal of loss prevention in the process industries/Journal Journal of loss prevention in the process industriesSCIISTPEI
正式出版
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    Reliability and availability models for ageing safety-related systems

    Florent BrissaudCyrille FolleauBenoit de Cournuaud
    11页
    查看更多>>摘要:This paper proposes reliability and availability models for ageing systems subject to failures detected on-line and (hidden) failures only revealed by proof tests, such as safety-related systems. Both types of failures are modelled by Weibull distributions with three parameters: shape, scale, and (virtual) age. For on-line detected failures (e.g. self-revealed or quickly detected by frequent automatic diagnostic tests), a corrective maintenance is assumed with a constant repair rate. For the other failures, a preventive maintenance consists in periodic proof tests that reveal the failures and, if applicable, a corrective maintenance is also performed. While the elements are assumed as bad as old (ABAO) after corrective maintenance, arithmetic reduction of age (ARA) with memory is considered for preventive maintenance. Analytical formulas are proposed for the time-dependent (virtual) age, failure rate, and unavailability of an element, for each type of failure. These formulas are implemented in a fault tree analysis tool for application to different architectures of systems with elements subject to different types of failures. For safety-related systems, results show that the use of the proposed models may prevent underestimating the unavailability of ageing systems (and therefore the risks) and enables definition of more appropriate maintenance policies.

    Numerical simulations of gas explosion using Porosity Distributed Resistance approach Part - 1: Validation against small-scale experiments

    P. SathiahJ. PuttockF. WalterD. Chakraborty...
    20页
    查看更多>>摘要:A new model, PDRFOAM, has been developed for the prediction of gas explosions in congested plant. It uses the PDR approach to model the effect of small-scale obstacles, e.g., pipes and vessels on flame propagation and on explosion overpressure. While the effects of large obstacles i.e., that is the large scales are explicitly resolved. The equations for mass, momentum, enthalpy and Favre-averaged regress variable are solved. In addition, porosity modified standard k-ε turbulence model and the transport equations for the flame wrinkling parameter are solved. The model PDRFOAM, is built as a new application in OpenFOAM, suite of models. OpenFOAM is an open-source CFD package of routines for solution of systems of partial differential equations. In addition, to the PDRFOAM model, the CADPDR program was developed which generates various fields (volume blockage, area blockages, surface area, sub-grid drag and turbulence generation parameters) needed by PDRFOAM. CADPDR needs as input obstacle files that list coordinates and dimension of the obstacles e.g. pipes and vessels. The PDRFOAM code solves porosity-modified momentum and continuity equations with sub-grid source terms. The combustion model in PDRFOAM is based on flame area transport. The turbulent burning velocity correlation used is based on Markstein and Karlowitz number. Flame area generation due to the folding of the flame around obstacles is explicitly modelled. This paper presents the formulation of PDRFOAM and validation of the PDRFOAM code against three series of small- and medium-scale experiments i.e., ERGOS, MERGE and Buxton S-Series experiments. A total of more than 150 experiments were used for validation which includes variation in blockage ratio, grid pitch, size of the congested region, equivalence ratio, confinement, partial fill, obstacle diameter, different obstacle shapes and three different fuels. The model is compared against flame position, flame speed as a function of time and maximum overpressure obtained from experiments. Simulations predict the experimental trends of increase in overpressure with increase in blockage ratio, laminar burning velocity, partial fill of the gas cloud, size of the congested region, confinement, grid pitch and obstacle diameter. It also predicts the trends of increase in overpressure with increase in equivalence ratio, variation of maximum overpressure with ignition location, change in obstacle shape and obstacle configuration. The maximum overpressure predicted by simulations (see Fig. 1) is in general within the uncertainty of a factor of two.

    A hybrid approach based on the HFACS-FBN for identifying and analysing human factors for fire and explosion accidents in the laboratory

    Laihao MaXiaoxue MaPengfei XingFanyong Yu...
    10页
    查看更多>>摘要:Fire and explosion accidents are the most important crises in the lab at colleges and universities, and human factors (HFs) are widely regarded as the highly contributing factors to the occurrence of lab accidents. Therefore, it is necessary to use efficient and reliable methods to identify and monitor the key HFs that cause and affect lab fire and explosion accidents. In this paper, to identify the most critical and highly contributing HFs exposed in the lab fire and explosion accidents, a hybrid method integrating Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS), Fuzzy set theory (FST), and Bayesian network (BN) is applied, which can compensate for the static nature of conventional methods in HFs analysis and its inability to deal with uncertainty. The hybrid model was tested on 39 lab fire and explosion accidents from 2008 to 2020 in China and the United States, and the sensitivity analysis was also conducted to recognize the top 10 most critical root events associated with HFs leading to lab fire and explosion accidents. The results demonstrated that organizational influences are the leading contributors to the top 10 most highly contributing root events for lab accidents.

    Gas diffusion model based on an improved Gaussian plume model for inverse calculations of the source strength

    Chang LiuRu ZhouTeng SuJuncheng Jiang...
    8页
    查看更多>>摘要:The rapid and accurate prediction of the release source and concentration of pollutants remains a crucial issue in emergency rescue. A suitable gas diffusion model, an appropriate distribution of monitoring points, and an inverse calculation method are required to solve this problem. Optimization modeling using monitoring data is proposed in this paper. The objective function is established using the sum of the squared errors between the observed and calculated concentrations. The Gaussian plume model was improved with ground reflection coefficient and modified He and compared with AFTOX as the monitoring data to increase the accuracy of the inverse calculation of the source strength. The stochastic inertia weight particle swarm optimization algorithm is utilized to meet the needs of emergency rescue operations for the more accurate prediction of the leakage point. The results show that it is necessary to establish a gas diffusion model for each location to ensure the accuracy of the source strength estimate.

    Experimental research and simulation of two-phase plume for R134a release and diffusion

    Xiyan GuoWei TanLiyan LiuGuorui Zhu...
    9页
    查看更多>>摘要:The frequent occurrence of Liquefied natural gas (LNG) leakage accidents has caused serious economic loss and environmental damage. Therefore, it's of great significance to make assessments on the LNG hazards during its accidental release and associated consequences. This paper focuses on the two-phase release process in the liquefied gas release and dispersion accident and makes investigatatation on the two-phase plume with experimental and numerical approaches. A small-scale experimental system is developed with different sizes of release holes. With the experiment results, the mass outflow rate and temperature have been obtained, which provided initial parameters for the simulation. Jet velocities have been measured by PIV, and results reveal that an obvious velocity breach existing near the leakage nozzle due to the Joule-Thomson effect. Besides, given a point in the X-axis, the jet velocity is decreasing with an increasing diameter hole. Subsequently, the experimental data are utilized to verify the liquid-gas phase numerical model using Eulerian-Lagrange approach. Comparing with the results obtained by single gas phase model, the velocities obtained by liquid-gas phase model show good consistency with the experiments. Afterwards, the validated numerical liquid-gas phase model is employed to analyze the temperature distribution, concentration distribution and droplet size distribution in the near-source release region. With the simulation results, it depicts that there is a violent temperature decrease near the leakage nozzle in the liquid-gas phase model, which was caused by the evaporation of droplets. Meanwhile, concentration of R134a simulated by liquid-gas phase model is higher than the value of single-gas phase. These results emphasize that it's essential to simulate the release accidents with liquid-gas phase model, especially in the near-source region. Both the experiments and numerical models are of great value for providing assessments and theoretical supports for the risk consequences in the process safety.

    Effects of the length and pressure relief conditions on propagation characteristics of natural gas explosion in utility tunnels

    Yimeng ZhaoJiansong WuRui ZhouJitao Cai...
    10页
    查看更多>>摘要:With the development of urbanization, the construction of the utility tunnel facilitates people's lives, but also brings some new potential hazards. For example, gas explosion occurring in the natural gas compartment can pose great threats to the safe operation of utility tunnels. In this paper, an experimental apparatus for modeling the process of the natural gas explosion in utility tunnels is established to investigate the effects of the gas compartment length and pressure relief conditions on the flame behaviors, and several parameters related to the consequence severity of gas explosion are studied comprehensively. The results indicate that ancillary facilities in the natural gas compartment (seen as obstacles) that cannot generate the large-scale recirculation zone but cause the small size of turbulence. The maximum overpressure firstly increases and then decays with the increase of the length of the gas compartment. Besides, it is also found that different pressure relief locations and strengths have a great influence on explosion characteristics in utility tunnels. This study can provide technical supports for safe management of utility tunnels. Meanwhile, some suggestions are put forward for the explosion suppression techniques and the design of pressure relief ports in the utility tunnel.

    On the flash fire of stratified cloud of liquefied natural gas

    Mattia CarboniGianmaria PioPaolo MocellinChiara Vianello...
    9页
    查看更多>>摘要:This work was focused on the characterization of flash fire scenarios resulting from the accidental release of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by keeping into account vapour stratification and temperature gradient, which deeply modify the combustion phenomena for the standard homogeneous cloud. An open-source computational fluid dynamic (CFD) tool was used to this aim, provided premixed and diffusive/convective modification for the combustion model. The effects of the source model for the evaporation and the representative boundary conditions (wind velocity, heat flux from the substrate, relative humidity of the atmosphere, liquid pool diameter) were investigated. The heat flux from the substrate was found the most impacting parameter since it considerably helps vertical spreading, thus reducing the stand-off distances. The comparison with standardized procedures for the consequence assessment of flash fire highlights that the latter approach provides non-conservative results under certain circumstances. Hence, the adoption of the presented procedure is suggested. Considering the nature of the investigated scenario, the effects of thermal and mass stratifications on combustion efficiency were analysed too. As a result, the safety distances calculated by CFD for stratified mixtures were found almost double than the corresponding values estimated for homogeneous cloud and by integral models, commonly adopted in risk analyses.

    Vapor cloud explosions in various types of confined environments: CFD analysis and model validation

    G. MomferatosS. G. GiannissiI. C. ToliasA. G. Venetsanos...
    12页
    查看更多>>摘要:In the current work, three different types of vapor cloud explosion experiments are simulated. The purpose of the simulations is twofold: firstly, to evaluate a recently developed CFD model and secondly to analyze the involved phenomena with the help of the simulation results. The proposed model, which has been implemented in the ADREA-HF CFD code, utilizes the RANS method using the Kato and Launder modification of k-e model. Combustion is modelled by taking into account the main mechanisms that contribute to the phenomenon such as chemistry, turbulence generated from the obstacles in front of the flame front, flame instabilities and turbulence generated by the flame-front itself. The CFD model is evaluated against different types of explosions in different geometries and with various fuels. Uniform premixed fuel-air mixture is considered in all cases. A large scale vented deflagration experiment in a 10 m length enclosure is firstly simulated using methane as fuel. The external explosion effect is apparent in this case. Then, a hydrogen deflagration experiment in a 78.5 m tunnel is simulated. Four mock-up cars are placed in the premixed region. Finally, propane and methane explosions inside a 1.5 m tube with obstacles and intense turbulence are simulated. Two different obstacle configurations are studied. The model predicts the overpressure values satisfactorily in all the examined cases. The factors that contribute to the pressure rise in each stage of each experiment are discussed based on the simulation results.

    Coupling evolution effect between security system vulnerability and security incident in petrochemical plants

    Mingxin DongYifei MengChuanrui QinTao Li...
    11页
    查看更多>>摘要:Security system vulnerability is closely related to the occurrence and development of security accidents in petrochemical plants. It also affects security accident evolution, and the state of security accident changes and in turn acts on the system vulnerability. However, few studies have been performed on the coupling effect of security system vulnerability and security incidents on this evolution process. In this study, the correlation between security system vulnerability and security incident is analyzed from three aspects, namely, evolutionary roots, time dimension, and space dimension. A full-cycle coupling evolution model between security system vulnerability and security incidents is established. The quantitative coupling evolution law among them is also obtained. The coupling evolution relationship between security system vulnerability and security incidents in petrochemical plants is examined in detail, and an illustrative case is used to explain the rationality of our findings. Results reveal that security system vulnerability plays a leading role in each of the four security incident evolution periods.

    Influence of sequential fireballs on thermal safety distance estimations for organic peroxide drums

    Pushpendra Kumar VishwakarmaKirti Bhushan Mishra
    14页
    查看更多>>摘要:Organic peroxides are highly reactive and unstable substances that can undergo self-accelerating decomposition and develop sequential fireballs during storage and transportation. The available semi-empirical equations for the assessment of physical and radiative properties of organic peroxides and liquid hydrocarbon fireballs are based on a fixed mass of substance with an assumption of single fireball formation. However, the involvement of variable fuel mass in sequential fireballs developed in an overlapping and individual manner requires further modifications to the existing equations. Considering the complexities involved in large-scale experiments, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based open-source code Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) has been used in the present study to estimate the characteristics of such sequential fireballs. The existing equations are modified based on visible diameter of the overlapped fireballs. The safety distances are calculated and compared using different models viz. TDU, TNT equivalence and irradiation. Results indicated that the predicted Surface Emissive Power (SEP) for the overlapped fireballs are 9-27% higher compared to the individual fireballs. Moreover, the predicted safety distances as per NFPA 49CFR (5 kW/m~2) for overlapped fireballs were ranging from 60 to 70 m compared to 15-25 m for the individually generated ones.