• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.26-30
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• 2011

Experimental investigations were performed to examine the effects of different electrostatic discharge ignition energies on LPG/air mixture explosions in an explosion chamber. The chamber consisted of 500 mm in length, with a $100{\times}100mm^2$ cross section. Three different ignition energies were used: 0.30 mJ, 46 mJ and 98 mJ. Flame propagations were recorded by a high speed video camera. The results of flame speed and pressure obtained from the different ignition energies were discussed. It was found that as the energy increased, different flame initiations occurred. This caused the time interval in both the flame and pressure developments. It was also found that the flame speed and the pressure were less sensitive to both 0.30 mJ and 46 mJ, except for the ignition energy of 98 mJ.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.111-122
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• 2013

The steam explosion-chemical pretreatment is a more effective wood pretreatment technique than the conventional physical pretreatment by accelerating reactions during the pretreatment process. In this paper, two-stage pretreatment processes of hardwood were investigated for its enzymatic hydrolysis and the succinic acid yield from the pretreated solid. The first stage pretreatment was performed under conditions of low severity to optimize the amount of solid recovery. In the second stage pretreatment washed solid material from the first stage pretreatment step was impregnated again with chemical (alkaline or chlorine-based chemicals) to remove a portion of the lignin, and to make the cellulose more accessible to enzymatic attack. The effects of pretreatment were assessed by enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation, after the two stage pretreatments. Maximum succinic acid yield (16.1 g $L^{-1}$ and 77.5%) was obtained when the two stage pretreatments were performed at steam explosion -3% KOH.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.87 no.3
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• pp.273-282
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• 2023

Concrete construction, one of the oldest building practices, is commonly used in all parts of the world. Concrete is the primary building material for both residential and commercial constructions. The challenge of protecting the buildings, hence nation, against the attack of terrorism has raised the importance to explore the understanding of building materials against the explosion. In this research, a security check-post (reinforced concrete frame filled with plain cement concrete) has been chosen to study the behavior of structural elements under blast loading. Eight nitroglycerines-based dynamite blasts with varying amounts of explosive charge, up to 17 kg weight has been carried out at various scale distances. Pressure and acceleration time history records are measured using blast measuring instruments. Security check post after being exposed by explosive loading are photographed to view cracking/failure patterns on the structural elements. It is noted that with the increase of quantity of explosive, the dimensions of spalling and crack patterns increase on the front panels. Simple empirical analyses are conducted using ConWep and other design manuals such as UFC 3-340-02 (2008) and AASTP-1 (2010) for the purpose of comparison of blast parameters with the experimental records. The results of experimental workings are also compared with earlier researchers to check the compatibility of developed equations. It is believed that the current study presents the simple and preliminary procedure for calculating the air blast and ground shock parameters on the structures exposed to blast explosion.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.46-54
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• 2012

More than 70% of the accidents that occur on offshore installations stem from hydrocarbon explosions and fires, which, because they involve blast effects and heat, are extremely hazardous and have serious consequences in terms of human health, structural safety, and the surrounding environment. Blast barriers are integral structures in a typical offshore topside module to protect personnel and safety critical equipment by preventing the escalation of events caused by hydrocarbon explosions. Many researchers have shown the adequacy of the simple design tool commonly used by the offshore industry for the analysis and design of blast walls. However, limited information is available for corrugated blast wall design with explosion impact response characteristics. Therefore, this paper presents a parametric study on the explosion impact response characteristics of an offshore installation's stainless steel corrugated blast wall. This paperalso investigates and recommends design parameters for the structural design of a corrugated blast wall based on a nonlinear structural analysis of experiential results.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.30-37
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• 2016

Electrical apparatuses for use in the presence of flammable gas atmospheres have to be specially designed to prevent them from igniting the explosive gas. Flameproof design implies that electrical components producing electrical sparks are contained in enclosures and withstand the maximum pressure of internal gas or vapours. In addition, any gaps in the enclosure wall have to designed in such a way that they will not transmit a gas explosion inside the enclosure to an explosive gas or vapours atmosphere outside it. In this study, we explained some of the most important physical mechanism of MESG(Maximum Experimental Safe Gap) that the jet of combustion products ejected through the flame gap to the external surroundings do not have an energy and temperature large enough to initiate an ignition of external gas or vapours. We measured the MESG and maximum explosion pressure of ternary gas mixtures(propane-acetylene-air) by the test method and procedure of IEC 60079-20-1:2010. As a result, the composition of propane gas that has lower explosive power than acetylene gas in the ternary gas mixtures makes greater effects on MESG and explosion pressure.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.58-65
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• 2012

Various models are currently applied to predict the dispersion of leaked combustible gas and overpressure from a vapor cloud explosion(VCE). However, those models use simple approaches where topography and barriers of anti-leakage facilities and the effects of buildings were not sufficiently taken into considerations. For this reason, this study has proposed the dispersion process of leaked gas, distribution patterns, and flames and overpressure generated from gas explosions in 2D and 3D virtual spaces by reviewing more accurately analyzable computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model by considering various variables including combustion types of leaked substances, geometry of facility, warm currents, barriers, the influence of wind, and others. The CFD analysis results are anticipated to be usefully applied for the risk analysis of explosion and for the risk-based design.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Geothermal and Hydrothermal Energy
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.21-28
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• 2018

This paper presents two-step simulations to calculate the influence of blast-induced pressures on explosion-protection valves installed at the boundary between a protection facility and a tunnel entering the facility. The first step is to calculate the respective overpressure on the entrance and exit of the tunnel when an explosion occurs near the tunnel entrance and exit to approach the protection facility. Secondly, the blast pressures on the explosion-protection valves mounted to walls located near the tunnel inside approaching the protection facility are analyzed with a 0.1 ms time variation using the results obtained from the first-step calculations. The following conclusions could be derived as a results: (1) The analysis of the entrance tunnel scenario, P1, leads to the maximum overpressure of 47 kPa, approximately a half of the ambient pressure, at the inner entrance due to the effect of blast barrier. For the scenario, P2, the case not blocked by the barrier, the maximum overpressure is 628 kPa, which is relatively high, namely, 5.2 times the ambient pressure. (2) It is observed that the pressure for the entrance tunnel is effectively mitigated because the initial blast pressures are partially offset from each other according to the geometry of the entrance and a portion of the pressures is discharged to the outside.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-18
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• 2010

The analysis of structure response and design of buried structures subjected to dynamic destructive loads have been receiving increasing interest due to recent severe damage caused by strong earthquakes and terrorist attacks. For a comprehensive design of buried structures subjected to blast loads to be conducted, the whole system behaviour including simulation of the explosion, propagation of shock waves through the soil medium, the interaction of the soil with the buried structure and the structure response needs to be simulated in a single model. Such a model will enable more realistic simulation of the fundamental physical behaviour. This paper presents a complete model simulating the whole system using the finite element package ABAQUS/Explicit. The Arbitrary Lagrange Euler Coupling formulation is used to model the explosive charge and the soil region near the explosion to eliminate the distortion of the mesh under high deformation, while the conventional finite element method is used to model the rest of the system. The elasto-plastic Drucker-Prager Cap model is used to model the soil behaviour. The explosion process is simulated using the Jones-Wilkens-Lee equation of state. The Concrete Damage Plasticity model is used to simulate the behaviour of concrete with the reinforcement considered as an elasto-plastic material. The contact interface between soil and structure is simulated using the general Mohr-Coulomb friction concept, which allows for sliding, separation and rebound between the buried structure surface and the surrounding soil. The behaviour of the whole system is evaluated using a numerical example which shows that the proposed model is capable of producing a realistic simulation of the physical system behaviour in a smooth numerical process.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.25-31
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• 2020

Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion(BLEVE) can cause not only economic damage to the plant but also serious casualties. LPG accidents account for 89.6 percent of all accidents caused by gas leaks in Korea over the past nine years, while casualties from accidents also account for 73 percent of all accidents, according to statistics from the Korea Gas Safety Corporation. In addition, a potential explosion and a fire accident from one LPG storage tank may affect the nearby storage tanks, causing secondary and tertiary damage (domino effect). The safety distance standards for LPG used by LPG workplaces, charging stations, and homes in Korea have become stricter following the explosion of LPG charging stations in Bucheon. The safety distance regulation is divided into regulations based on the distance damage and the risk including frequency. This study suggests two approaches to optimizing the safety distance based on the just consequence and risk including frequencies. Using the Phast 7.2 Risk Assessment software by DNV GL, the explosion overpressure and heat radiation were derived according to the distance caused by BLEVE in the worst-case scenario, and accident and damage probability were derived by considering the probit function and domino effect. In addition, the safety distance between LPG tanks or LPG charging stations was derived to minimize damage effects by utilizing these measures.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 1999

Chemical plant's fire and explosion does not only damage to the chemical plants themselves but also damage to people in or near of the accident spot and the neighborhood of chemical plant. For that reason, Chemical process safety management has become important. One of safety management methods is called 'the quantitative analysis', which is used to reduce and prevent the accident. The results of the quantitative analysis could be used to arrange the equipments, evaluate the minimum safety distance, prepare the safety equipments. In this study we make the computer program to make easy to do Quantitative analysis of the accident. The output of the computer program is the magnitude of fire(pool fire and fireball) and explosion(UVCE and BLEVE) effects. We used the thermal radiation as a measure of fire magnitude and used the overpressure as a measure of explosion magnitude. In case of BLEVE, the fly distance of fragment can be evaluated. Also probit analysis was done in every case. As the case study, Buchun LPG explosion accident in Korea was analysed by the program developed. The simulation results showed that the permissible distance was 800m and probit analysis showed that 1st degree bum, 2nd degree burn, and death distances are 450, 280, 260m, respectively the simulation results showed the good agreement with the results from SAFER PROGRAM made by Dupont.