• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.80-86
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• 2015

This study analyzed recent cases of ship fires explosions and investigated their problems and coping plans. Through analysis on the statistical figures, it was found that our nation's situations of maritime accidents by kind during the period of 2009~2013 showed the ratios of ship accidents caused by fires explosions was the highest in 2012 with 7.58% (55 cases) followed by year 2009 with 3.39% (34 cases), year 2010 with 3.39% (25 cases), year 2011 with 6.03% (57 cases) and year 2013 with 6.74% (43 cases), which indicates a steady increase in the number of ship accidents. Majority of reasons for ship fires explosions were lack of safety awareness. Since those accidents happen on the sea, fires, once they happen, tend to get serious due to absence of on board & nearby fire extinguishing facilities, public fire service's uneasy access to them and great influences of natural factors such as wind and etc. Ship fires explosions are special cases unlike what happens to general edifices. So, their coping plans should focus on preventive measures since the damages those cases bring about can be detrimental. For this reason, it's necessary to research precise evacuation plans, develop ship structure & materials reinforcing fire resistance to secure more time for evacuation and enhance people's safety awareness by implementing thorough safety training.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.110-119
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• 2020

Explosions and fires on offshore drilling units and process plants, which cause loss of life and environmental damage, have been studied extensively. However, research on drilling units increased only after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon accident in the Gulf of Mexico. A major reason for explosions and fires on a drilling unit is blowout, which is caused by a failure to control the high temperatures and pressures upstream of the offshore underwater well. The area susceptible to explosion and fire due to blowout is the drill floor, which supports the main drilling system. Structural instability and collapse of the drill floor can threaten the structural integrity of the entire unit. This study simulates the behavior of fire subsequent to blowout and assesses the thermal load. A heat transfer structure analysis of the drill floor was carried out using the assessed thermal load, and the risk was noted. In order to maintain the structural integrity of the drill floor, passive fire protection of certain areas was recommended.

• 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 Institute of Convergence Signal Processing
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.82-89
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• 2023

Due to the characteristics of ship structure, the compartment structure is complicated and narrow, so safety accidents frequently occur during the work process. The main causes of accidents include structural collisions, falling objects, toxic substance leaks, fires, explosions, asphyxiation, and more. Understanding the on-site conditions of workers during accidents is crucial for mitigating damages. In order to ensure safety, the on-site situation is monitored using CCTV in the ship, but it is difficult to prevent accidents with the existing method. To address this issue, a smart safety helmet equipped with location identification and voice/video communication capabilities is being developed as a safety technology. Additionally, the smart safety helmet incorporates environmental sensors for temperature, humidity, vibration, noise, tilt (gyro sensor), and gas detection within the work area. These sensors can notify workers wearing the smart safety helmet of hazardous situations. By utilizing the smart safety helmet and environmental sensors, the safety of workers aboard ships can be enhanced.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.138-142
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• 2018

The marine industry is rapidly developing as a result of the increase in various needs in the marine environment. In addition, accidents involving ship fires and explosions and the resulting casualties are increasing. Generally, manpower and safety problems exist in fire fighting. A fire fighter in the form of an autonomous surface robot would be ideal for marine fire safety, because it has no manpower and safety problems. Therefore, an autonomous surface robot with the abilities of fire recognition and tracking, nozzle selection, position and attitude control, and fire fighting was developed and is discussed in this paper. The test and evaluation results of this robot showed the possibility of real-size applications and the need for additional studies.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.51-58
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• 2013

Recently, there has been an increase in the demand for natural gas as a source of clean energy, which has increased the demand for LNG carriers. However, LNG carriers require a capital investment to obtain equipment for the regasification process, which prevents fires and explosions. Thus, on account of NIMBY, a CNG carrier is suggested that eliminates the need for regasification equipment. Meanwhile, carbon dioxide emissions are more and more regulated by international conventions such as the Kyoto Protocol. Because of this, $CO_2$ carriers have also received international attention as a methodology to transport and store $CO_2$ cargoes. Several vessels or tanks to transport and store $CO_2$ gas have been studied in various countries. This paper proposes a conceptual design for a 20ft container shaped tank to effectively transport small cargoes of $CO_2$ and CNG. The proposed pressure vessel or tank will be carried by a conventional containership or special cargo ship. The influences of the design parameters for proposed pressure vessel or tank. Including the materials, scantlings, and shape of the pressure vessel, are studied theoretically and computationally.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.8-14
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• 2023

In various industrial sites, piping systems play an essential role in stable fluid supply and pressure maintenance. However, these systems are constantly exposed to risks of earthquakes, explosions, fires, and leaks, which can result in casualties or serious economic losses. With rapid advancements in the industry, different-sized piping systems have been launched; however, there are not enough maintenance personnel for troubleshooting and responding to situations where damages occur to piping systems. This increases the need for introducing autonomous damage management systems. In this study, a lab-based piping system was designed and manufactured by referring to the piping system of a naval ship to analyze the effectiveness of autonomous damage management systems. By using this testbed, a representative algorithm, the hydraulic resistance control algorithm, was realized and examinedIn addition, the difference between the averaged pressure and normalized pressure was introduced to improve the performance of the existing algorithm, which faces some limitations with regard to sensor noise and back pressure from the rupture-simulated pipeline part.

• Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.380-387
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• 2014

Piper Alpha disaster drew attention to the damage likely to arise from explosions and fires on an offshore platform. And great concerns have been increased to prevent these hazards. Blast wall is one of the passive safety systems; it plays a key part of minimizing the consequences. However, a buckling due to explosion loads is a factor which can reduce the strength of blast wall. The buckling often occurs between web and flange at the center of blast wall. This study aims to find a solution for reinforcing its strength by installing a flat plate at the spot where the buckling occurs. First of all, ANSYS finite element method is adopted to numerically compute the structural resistance characteristic of blast wall by using a quasi-static approach. Sequentially, the impact response characteristics of blast wall are investigated the effect on thickness of flat plate by using ANSYS/LS-DYNA. Finally, pressure-impulse diagrams (P-I diagram) are presented to permit easy assessment of structural response characteristics of stiffened blast wall. In this study, effective use is made to increase structural intensity. of blast wall and acquired important insights have been documented.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.165-175
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• 2024

Hydrogen is being touted as one of the energy sources to combat the climate change crisis. However, hydrogen can leak into enclosed spaces, rise to the ceiling, accumulate, and cause fires and explosions if it encounters an ignition source. In particular, ships that transport hydrogen or use it as a fuel comprise multiple enclosed spaces. Therefore, the dif usion characteristics within these spaces must be understood to ensure the safe use of hydrogen. The purpose of this study is to experimentally determine the diffusion characteristics of helium, which has similar properties to hydrogen, in a closed space on board a ship, and to determine the change in the oxygen concentration along the leakage direction as the air change per hour(ACH) increases to 25, 30, 35, 40, and 45 through CFD simulation. The study, results revealed that the oxygen concentration reduction rate was 2% for leakage in the -z direction and 1% for leakage in the +x and +z directions, and the ventilation time was 15 min 30 s for leakage in the -z direction, 7 min for leakage in the +x direction, and 9 min for leakage in the +z direction, showing that differences existed in the oxygen concentration and ventilation time depending on the leakage direction. In addition, no significant difference was observed in the rate of oxygen concentration reduction and ventilation time in all leakage directions from the ACH of 35 and above in the experimental space. Therefore, because the oxygen concentration and ventilation time were not improved by increasing the ACH, 35 was noted as the optimal ACH in this experimental environment.