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Testing Facilities
BakerRisk has been at the leading edge of blast, process safety, and structural impact research for
many years. We have two largescale testing facilities: the Wilfred E. Baker Test Facility (WEBTF)
located near our headquarters in San Antonio, Texas and the Box Canyon Test Site near Uvalde, Texas.
We also have a materials and combustion test laboratory located in our San Antonio office building.
Wilfred E. Baker Test Facility
The 160acre site includes a 9,800 sq. ft. highbay test building, several outdoor test pads, a hardened
test cell, a shock tube, and a process safety test rig. The main test building was designed to withstand a
120 mph hurricane wind load due to anticipated test conditions. The building includes a control room to
operate the shock tube, a second control room to operate outdoor test programs, and a client meeting
room.
Large Shock Tube
The BakerRisk shock tube is one of the largest available for commercial and R&D testing in the
country. It can allow for testing of structural components up to 16 ft. high and 10 ft. wide. The shock
tube has been used to test blast resistant windows, doors, wall panels, and passive fire protection
systems.
High Pressure Test Apparatus (HPTA)
This apparatus was developed to support the Pressure Testing Research Cooperative (PTRC), a
Joint Industry Program organized by BakerRisk to support the oil exploration industry. The HPTA is
used to simulate the fragments resulting from a high pressure tool failure and to test the
effectiveness of barrier designs.
Process Safety Test Rig
The BakerRisk process safety testing platform is designed to assist BakerRisk and our clients with
validation and advancement of current consequence modeling through experimentation. The rig is
equipped with instrumentation and data acquisition systems that measure the internal and external
process conditions, along with flow rate for flammable vapor discharges with or without ignition. The
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rig is easily adaptable to accommodate a wide variety of possible tests and also includes a firewater
system that serves a dual function of safety and firewater application testing.
Wilfred E. Baker Test Facility
Box Canyon Test Facility
The 2,300acre Box Canyon Test Facility (BCTF), named for its unique topography, is located about 20
miles west of Uvalde, Texas in Kinney County. The BCTF is BakerRisk’s largest test facility and supports
vapor cloud explosion (VCE) tests, deflagration load generator (DLG) tests, and many other oneoff type
tests (jet fire, pool fire, dispersions, etc.) in support of research and litigation.
Currently, the test facility has three designated test sites: 1) Vapor Cloud Explosion Test Site, 2)
Deflagration Load Generator (DLG) Test Site, and 3) Jet Fire/Misc. Test Site. There are many acres
within the test facility that can be developed for potential test programs.
Vapor Cloud Explosion Test Site
Conduct VCE tests to measure the blast loads. The test range has the capability to conduct VCE
tests that range from slow speed deflagrations to deflagrationtodetonation transitions (DDT).
Deflagration Load Generator (DLG) Test Site
Deflagration Load Generator produces blast waves with a gradual rise to peak pressure, which is
representative of the blast wave from a vapor cloud explosion (VCE) that could accidentally occur at
refining and chemical processing facilities. The DLG test rig provides the capacity to produce blast
waves representative of a VCE over a range of peak pressures and durations. Structural test
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specimens can be placed in front of the test rig to determine and validate their response to realistic
VCE blast loads.
Jet Fire/Misc. Test Site
Developed to support jet fire tests and other oneoff type tests. Jet fire tests are intended to provide
a better understanding of the hazards associated with jet fires and refine the computer models used
for facility safety assessments.
Materials Laboratory
Our materials engineering and evaluation services are supported by a materials laboratory in the San
Antonio office to help evaluate a client’s particular problem. Testing includes the use of optical and
scanning electron microscopes including xray spectroscopy, ultrasonic thickness gauges, hardness
testers, and other state of the art tools.
The 1,000 square foot BakerRisk laboratory is located in the San Antonio office building, allowing
convenient access by staff to the test facilities. Three types of testing are routinely performed in the
laboratory:
Materials Engineering and Metallurgical Analysis
Combustion Tests
Chemical and Special Tests
The laboratory is divided into three areas, an optical and SEM microscope room, a mechanical and
preparation room, and a general test room. Three NFPA, flammablerated chemical storage cabinets
insure safe storage of chemicals and samples.
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For more information or to speak with a consultant, please Contact Us.
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