Blast resistant buildings: construction

One risk-reduction option is to construct a new blast-resistant building in the same location as the existing building. This involves demolishing the existing building, which may cause significant disruption to process plant operations. 

Reinforced concrete is generally considered the most suitable and economical construction material for blast resistant buildings, especially for those close in to a... 

Foundations are always constructed of reinforced concrete. Blast resistant buildings can be supported on pited or soil supported mats. Spread footings arc used with a grade beam system to minimize relative displacements between individual footings,... 

The motor control center (MCC) and Substation have concrete block load bearing walls of ordinary construction. The control house is of blast resistant construction with reinforced concrete walls and roof designed for 0.2 bar static. All three buildings are 4 m tall. 

The overpressure-consequence relationship in Table 5.3 is given for typical buildings of ordinary construction (i.e., not blast-resistant design). This qualitative characterization of consequences does not explicitly account for the specific structural characteristics of a particular plant building nor does it account for the impulse or duration of the blast wave. As a result, the... 

Constructing New Blast/Fire-Resistant Building in the Same Place as the Old Building... 

Based on the results of the qualitative assessment, the decision was made to construct a new control building of blast-resistant design with more separation distance from both the cycle gas compression and feed purification areas. Construction of a new control building was deemed the most appropriate option since the control building spacing and design were considerably out of... 

For exposed buildings at onshore facilities, heavy monlithic concrete construction is used. Entranceways are provided with heavy blast resistance doors, that do not face the exposed area. 

One should keep in mind that every building has some level of blast resistance and the term is not synonymous with a bunker design. Blast resistant construction is sometimes referred to as blast proof." This is a misnomer since it is not realistic to provide an absolute level of blast protection. In other words, there is always some probability that a design basis event can be exceeded. 

Non-structural considerations such as safety, operation, architecture, cost and owner preference may dictate the shape, orientation, and layout of a plant building. In establishing these, however, the engineer should also consider the requirements for blast resistant construction. 

Most details for this type of construction are not uniquely influenced by blast resistant design. For steel frame buildings, appropriate AISC steel details used for plastic design methods should be used. The attachment of the siding and roofing requires special attention and the details shown in Figure 8.1 are applicable. 

The majority of dynamic analyses performed in blast resistant design of petrochemical facilities are made using SDOF approximations. Common types of construction, such as single story plane frames, cantilever barrier walls and compact box-like buildings are approximated as SDOF systems. Several examples of such structures are illustrated in Figure 6.2. 

For exposed buildings, usually monolithic construction is utilized, such as reinforced concrete structures, to withstand explosive blasts. The design strength of the structures is determined by the estimated blast force and the specific detailed design particulars of the structural components. Entranceways are provided with heavy blast resistant doors that do not face exposed areas. 

In 1955 it was discovered that mixtures of ammonium nitrate and fine coal dust have satisfactory blasting capabilities in large (9 inch) holes used in open-pit coal mines to remove the rock and soil covering the coal. Polyethylene bags containing this material deform to fit the hole and provide moderate water resistance. ANFO is used in open-pit iron and copper mines and for construction such as road building. The mixture is air blown into 2-inch holes or less m maiiv underground mines. 

The type of buildings and their construction. Factors can include, ventilation nites, resistance to blast effects, tlie ability of overhead fixtures to remain intact, etc. 

Constructing New Building in Locations Requiring Less Blast or Fire Resistance... 

This type of construction uses precast concrete walls with steel or concrete frames (Figure 4.2). The frame resists all vertical loads and precast shear walls resist lateral loads. Ductile connections for precast panels are an important consideration. Precast panels are made with embedded steel connection devices attached to the building frame by bolting or welding. The roof is usually a concrete slab on metal deck. The metal deck is attached to steel framing by studs or puddle welds. Tins type of construction can be economically designed to withstand blast loading on the order of 7 to 10 psi (48 to 69 kPa) side-on overpressure. 

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