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Received July 10, 2000
Accepted March 16, 2001
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Explosion Hazard Analysis in Partially Confined Area
Institute of Gas Safety Technology, Korea Gas Safety Corporation, 332-1,Daeya-dong, Shihung-shi, Gyeonggi-do 429-712, Korea
Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering, May 2001, 18(3), 292-296(5), 10.1007/BF02699167
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Abstract
A fuel gas leak in a partially confined area creates a flammable atmosphere and gives rise to an explosion, which is one of the most common accidents in a chemical plant. Observations from accidents suggest that some explosions are caused by a quantity of fuel significantly less than the lower explosion limit (LEL) amount required to fill the whole confined area, which is attributed to inhomogeneous mixing of leaked gas. The minimum amount of leaked gas for explosion is highly dependent on the mixing degree in the area. This paper presents a method for analyzing the explosion hazard in partially confined area with very small amount of leaked gas. Based on explosion limit concentration, the Gaussian distribution model is used to estimate the minimum amount of leak which yields a specified explosion pressure. The method will help in analyzing hazards to develop new safe devices as well as for investigating accidents.
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Jo YD, KIGAS, 3(2), 24 (1999)
Jo YD, Cho JH, Kim SS, Oh SK, "A Study on the Improvement of Simulator for the Effect of Indoor Gas Explosion," KOGAS (1999)
Khan FI, Rani JD, Abbasi SA, Korean J. Chem. Eng., 15(2), 124 (1998)
Lees FP, "Loss Prevention in the Process Industries," 2nd Edition, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, 22, 17/32 and 17/37-38 (1996)
Oh KH, Kim H, Rhie KW, Kim JB, Lee SE, Kim SS, Jo YD, "A Study on the Pressure Behavior of Vented Gas Explosion," 1st Conference of Association of Korean-Japanese Safety Engineering Society, November 22 (1999)
Ogle RA, Process Saf. Prog., 18(3), 170 (1999)
Park OH, HWAHAK KONGHAK, 17(5), 345 (1979)
Safety Engineering Association, The Experimental Report of Flammable Gas Distribution in Confined Area, Japan, 35 (1971)
