Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosions and Fireball

Industrial Fire Protection
Fire Hazard Calculations for

Large, Open Hydrocarbon Fires
Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor

Explosions and Fireball
REVIEW
REVIEW
Diameter(D)
Mass burning rate per

  )
unit pool area( m
Pool
Fire Absence
Flame height(H) of wind
Presence of
wind
Flame tilt angle(θ)
Radiant heat flux(q)

Main Points
2.1 Basic concepts
2.2 Thermal radiation from fireballs
2.3 Sample problem
2.4 Summary and questions

2.1. Basic concepts
2.1.1 BLEVE
(Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion)
The explosively rapid vaporization and corres-

ponding release of energy of a liquid, flammable
or otherwise upon its sudden release from conta-
inment under greater-than-atmospheric pressure
at a temperature above its atmospheric boiling
point(沸点).
Factory Mutual Research Corporation

2.1.1 BLEVE
saturated
vapor
fluid Three steps of a BLEVE:
(1) (2) (3)

Lost Equilibrium
2.1.2 Fireball
Fireball: A burning fuel-air cloud whose

energy is emitted primarily in the form of
radiant heat.

2.1.3 Typical accidents
City State Year
1 Feyzin France 1966

2 Kingman Arizona 1973
3 Texas City Texas 1978
4 Crescent City Illinois 1983
5 Mexico City Mexico 1984

2.1.3 Typical accidents
(1) It occurred on July
11, 1978 in Alcanar,
near Tarragona, in
Spain.
(2) a BLEVE occurred
after a road accident
with an LPG truck.
(3） 217 people
(including the driver)
were killed and 200
more were severely
burned.
Main Points
2.1 Basic concepts
2.3 Sample problem

2.2.Thermal radiation from hydrocarbon fireballs
2.2.1 The BLEVE consequences
Blast (shock wave) （冲击波）
Fragmentation （爆炸碎片）
Thermal Radiation （热辐射）
main hazard
2.2 Thermal radiation from hydrocarbon fireballs

2.2.2 The characteristic parameters of fireball
(1) The maximum diameter
(2) The duration of the combustion
(3) The surface-emissive power of the fireball
2.2.3 Fireball radiation

(1) The maximum diameter
Dc  5.8m 1/3
f
Where Dc ——maximum diameter，m

mf ——mass of fuel，kg

(2) The burning duration

For momentum-dominated（动量扩散） fireballs,
the burning duration is given by
tc  0.45mf1/3 for mf  30, 000 kg
For buoyancy-dominated（浮力扩散） fireballs,

the burning duration is given by
t c  2.6 m f1/6 for m f  30, 000 kg

2.2 Thermal radiation from hydrocarbon fireballs

2.2.3 Fireball radiation
(1) Point source fireball model（点源模型）
(2) Spherical fireball model（球形模型）

atmospheric
2.2.3 Fireball radiation transmissivity
radiative
fraction
Point source fireball model
0.67
HCm
q   2.2 R f
4 L2
distance
net heat of from the
combustion target to
per unit the point
mass source
location
Radiative fraction
 R  0.27P 0.32
Where：P ——fuel vapor pressure，MPa
 R  0. 3 fireballs for vessels bursting below

relief valve(安全阀) pressure
 R  0.4 fireballs for vessels bursting at or

above relief valve pressure

Distance from the target to the point source location
L  R   ZP  HT 
2 2
T
RT —horizontal distance from the release to the

target，m；
D
ZP —height of the point source，m；
HT —targetZheight，m
p L
RT HT Target

Main Points
2.1 Basic concepts
2.3 Sample problem

2.3.Sample problem
A liquefied propane (丙烷) tank truck whose

volume is 6000 U. S. gallons (22.7m3) is involved
in a traffic accident, and the tank truck is engulfed
(吞没) by fire from burning gasoline. The tank is
90% filled with propane.
Assume that all of propane will contribute to
the fireball. Please calculate the radiation effects.

(1) Estimate fireball diameter and
duration
mf  0.9  22.7  585.3  11, 958kg
Dc  5.8  mf1/3  5.8  119581/ 3  133m
tc  0.45  m 1/3
f  0.45  11958
1/ 3
 10.3s

(2)Estimate the radiation received at a
receptor m  11958 kg f
point source model  1
0.67
HCm H c  4.636  104 kJ/kg
q   2.2 R f
D
4 L2
 R  0.4
L
Zp L HT
x HT Target
q   1.7  10 /L kW/m
6 2 2
Radiation on a receptor from a 6000 gallon propane tank truck
BLEVE calculated with point source model
Ground Point
Distance Source
(m) Radiation
(kW/m2)
100 170
q   1.7  10 /L kW/m
6 2 2
200 42
500 6.8
1000 1.7
Effect on Humans from Radiation
Ground Point Source Effect from Point

Distance Radiation Source Radiation
(m) (kW/m2)
100 170 third degree burns,
50% lethality(致死率)
消防人员及紧急救灾人员最小安全
200 42 1% lethality
建议距离为4R
500 6.8 some pain
1000 人群安全逃脱最小建议距离为15R
1.7 below pain threshold

Main Points
2.1 Basic concepts
2.3 Sample problem
2.4 Summary

2.4 Summary
Dc Dc  5.8mf1/3
BLEVE
tc  0.45mf1/3 for mf  30, 000 kg
Fireball tc
tc  2.6mf1/6 for m f  30, 000 kg
H C mf0.67
Point Source Model q   2.2 R
4 L 2

Calculation Procedure
Estimate fireball diameter and duration.
Estimate the received thermal flux .
Determine the thermal impact.

Questions
1. Calculate flame radiative heat flux from a 10-m toluene pool fire to a vertical
target 2 m above the ground at 12m from the center of the pool with no wind using:
(a) Shokri and Beyler method
(b) Mudan method
2. Illustrate the phenomenon of BLEVE.
3. A storage tank containing with 100 tons butadiene(丁二烯) ruptured, and then
caused BLEVE and fireball with heating of external fire, please calculate the
fireball diameter and duration, and determine the radiation received by an object
normal to the fireball at distances of 100 , 200 and 300 metres from the fireball
point (the vapor pressure is 0.4 MPa, the combustion heat of butadiene is 50,409
kJ/kg).

Preview
Fireball radiation
(1) Point source fireball model
(2) Spherical fireball model

References
Guidelines for evaluating the characteristics of vapor
cloud explosions, flash fires, and BLEVEs.
 American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Center

for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS).
SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering (4th

ed.).
Section 3 Hazard calculations Chapter 11 Fire
hazard calculation for large, open hydrocarbon
fires.
 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosions and Fireball

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