BLEVEs characteristics evaluation

Evaluating the Characteristics of Vapor Cloud Explosions, Elash Eires, and BLEVEs Technical Management of Chemical Process Safety (Corporate)... 

This text is intended to provide an overview of methods for estimating the characteristics of vapor cloud explosions, flash flies, and boiling-liquid-expanding-vapor explosions (BLEVEs) for practicing engineers. The volume summarizes and evaluates all the current information, identifies areas where information is lacking, and describes current and planned research in the field. 

Radiant heat can be calculated using the SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering (Ref. 40) or CCPS s Guidelines for Evaluating the Characteristics of Vapor Cloud Explosions, Flash Fires, and BLEVEs (Ref. 5). If the expected radiant heat load exceeds the capacity of the building materials to resist it, further evaluation should be performed. References 104 and 105 provide additional guidance on fire. 

Potential explosion phenomena include vapor cloud explosions (VCEs), confined explosions, condensed-phase explosions, exothermic chemical reactions, boiling liquid expanding vapor explosions (BLEVEs), and pressure-volume (PV) ruptures. Potential fire phenomena include flash fires, pool fires, jet fires, and fireballs. Guidelines for evaluating the characteristics of VCEs, BLEVEs, and flash fires are provided in another CCPS publication (Ref. 5). The basic principles from Reference 5 for evaluating characteristics of these phenomena are briefly summarized in this appendix. In addition, the basic principles for evaluating characteristics of the other explosion and fire phenomena listed above are briefly summarized, and references for detailed evaluation of characteristics are provided. 

Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS). Guidelines for evaluating the characteristics of vapor cloud explosions, flash fires, and BLEVEs. New York, NY WUey — American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) 1994. 

---