• Explosives and Blasting
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.26-34
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• 2018

Explosions of vapor cloud formed due to the leakage from installations with flammable fuels have often occurred in Korea and foreign countries. In this study, TNT equivalency method and Multi-Energy method for vapor cloud explosion blast modelling are described and demonstrated in a case study. As TNT equivalency method is simple and direct, it has been widely used for modelling a vapor cloud explosion blast. But TNT equivalency method found to be difficult to select a proper correlation between the amount of combustion energy produced from the vapor cloud explosion and the equivalent amount of TNT to model its blast effects. Multi-Energy method assumes that the strength of vapor cloud explosion blast depends on the layout of the space where the vapor cloud is spreading. Strictly speaking, the explosive potential of a vapor cloud is dependent upon the density of the obstructed regions. In this study, Flixborough accident are analyzed as a case study to assess the applicability of TNT equivalency method and Multi-Energy method. TNT equivalency method and Multi-Energy method found to be applicable if coefficient of TNT equivalency and coefficient of strength of explosion blast are selected properly.

• Explosives and Blasting
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.44-53
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• 2022

This study evaluates the applicability of the TNT Equivalency Method, Multi-Energy Method, and Baker-Strehlow-Tang (BST) Method, which are blast prediction models used to determine the overpressure of blast wave generated from vapor cloud explosion. It is assumed that the propane leaked from a propane storage container with a capacity of 2000 kg installed in an area where studio houses and shopping centers are concentrated causes a vapor cloud explosion. The equivalent mass of TNT calculated by applying the TNT Equivalency Method is found to be 4061 kg. Change of overpressure with the distance obtained by the TNT Equivalency Method, Multi-Energy Method, and BST Method is rapid and the magnitude of overpressure obtained by the TNT Equivalency Method and BST method is generally similar within 100 m from explosion center. As a result of comparing the overpressure observed in the actual vapor cloud explosion case with the overpressure obtained by applying the TNT Equivalent Method, Multi-Energy Method, and BST Method, the BST Method is found to be the best fit. As a result of comparing the overpressure with the distance obtained by each explosion prediction model with the damage criteria for structure, it is estimated that the structure located within 90 m from explosion center would suffer a damage more than partial destruction, and glass panes of the structure separated by 600 m would be fractured.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.56-63
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• 2015

Gas explosion accidents could cause a catastrophe. we need specialized and systematic accident investigation techniques to shed light on the cause and prevent similar accidents. In this study, we had performed LNG explosion simulation using AUTODYN which is the commercial explosion program and predicted the damage characteristics of the structures by LNG explosive power. In the first step, we could get LNG's physical and chemical explosion properties by calculation using TNT equivalency method. And then, by applying TNT equivalency value about the explosion limit concentration of LNG on the 2D-AUTODYN simulation, we could get the explosion pressure wave profiles (explosion pressure, explosion velocity, etc.). In the last step, we performed LNG explosion simulation by applying to the explosion pressure wave profiles as the input data on the 3D-AUTODYN simulation. As a result, we had performed analyzing of the explosion characteristics of LNG in accordance with concentration through the 3D-AUTODYN simulation in terms of the explosion pressure behavior and structure's destruction and damage behavior.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.52-65
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• 2021

In this study, authors analyzed the vapor cloud explosion induced by propane leak at the PEMIX Terminal, which is the propane storage facility outside of Mexico City. TNT equivalence mass for the leaked 4750 kg propane was estimated to be 9398 kg. Blast parameters such as peak overpressure, positive phase duration, and impact at 40-400 (m) away from the center of the explosion were calculated by applying TNT Equivalency Method and Multi-Energy Method. The probability of damage due to lung damage, eardrum rupture, head impact, and whole-body displacement impact by applying the probit function obtained using blast parameters was evaluated. The peak overpressure obtained using Multi-Energy Method was found to be greater than the peak overpressure obtained by applying the TNT Equivalency Method at all distances considered, but it was evaluated that there was no significant difference from the points above 200 m. The peak overpressure obtained by Multi-Energy Method was computed to assess the extent of damage to the structure, and it was shown that structures within 100 m of the explosion center would collapse completely, and that the glasses of the structures 400 m away would be almost broken. The probability of death due to lung damage was shown to vary depending on a human body's position located in the propagating direction of shock wave, and if there is a reflecting surface in the immediate surroundings of a human body, the probability of death was estimated to be the greatest. The impact of shock wave on lung damage, eardrum rupture, head impact, and whole-body displacement impact was evaluated and found to affect whole-body impact < lung damage < eardrum rupture

• Proceedings of the Korea Institute of Fire Science and Engineering Conference
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• 1996.11a
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• pp.37-42
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• 1996

The assessment of catastrophic accidents such as BLEVE, vapor cloud explosion, and toxic material releases in the chemical process industries(CPI) shall be carried out according to the Requirement of PSM/SMS enforced by Korea Government Agencies, but reasonable models are not proposed for the practical application. The traditional models, TNT Equivalency Model, are well-known and helpful for the assessment of vapor cloud explosion. However, the estimated-damage-area using the traditional model has much more deviations comparing to the real damage caused by vapor cloud explosion suffered before. These are why an expert system for the assessment of vapor cloud explosion has been developed, which is based on theoretical, statistical and experimental data, and it would be helpful for CPI to evaluate the damage-area in case of vapor cloud explosion.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.109-115
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• 1999

The release of gas from the LPG storage tank by the rupture or leakage can occure explosion and this causes serious damage to people and structures. In this study, the explosion effect and damaging distance were measured for the LPG cloud explosion to perform the quantitative risk assessment for the PSM, and the effective parameters on the explosion were found. The gas dispersion and mass contaminant in the explosion limits were calculated by using DEGADIS, and it was converted to TNT equivalency and damaging distance. As a result, the wind speed was the most effective parameter on the diffusion rate and TNT equivalency, and the damaging distance were increased with decrease of wind speed and surface roughness.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.58-65
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• 2022

Gas explosion accidents could cause a catastrophe. we need specialized and systematic accident investigation techniques to shed light on the cause and prevent similar accidents. In this study, we had performed LPG explosion simulation using AUTODYN which is the commercial explosion program and predicted the damage characteristics of the structures by LNG explosive power. In the first step, we could get LPG's physical and chemical explosion properties by calculation using TNT equivalency method. And then, by applying TNT equivalency value about the explosion limit concentration of LPG on the 2D-AUTODYN simulation, we could get the explosion pressure wave profiles (explosion pressure, explosion velocity, etc.). In the last step, we performed LPG explosion simulation by applying to the explosion pressure wave profiles as the input data on the 3D-AUTODYN simulation. As a result, we had performed analyzing of the explosion characteristics of LPG in accordance with concentration through the 3D-AUTODYN simulation in terms of the explosion pressure behavior and structure destruction and damage behavior. The analyses showed that the generated stresses of the structures were lower than the compressive strengths in cases 1(two lane) and 2(four lane), while the generated stress in case 3(six lane) was 8.68e3 kPa, which exceeded the compressive strength of 5.89e3 kPa.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.4 no.4 s.12
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• pp.50-57
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• 2000

Past accidents have shown that vapor cloud explosions are the predominant cause of the largest losses in the chemical and petrochemical industries due to the generation of significant overpressures. Prediction of such overpressure is of great concern and a knowledge of the likely overpressure is needed for the design of equipment, safety cases and emergency planning. For these reasons, risk assessment for vapor cloud explosion is crucial and this assessment can be carried out using the different models including TNT-Equivalency, TNO Hemispherical, TNO Multi-Energy and CFD models. Accordingly, in this paper, the published VCE prediction models are reviewed to provide a critical comparison of the different models used for the quantification of explosion hazards, in terms of the fundamental assumptions employed, and their predictive accuracy

• Explosives and Blasting
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.1-8
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• 2023

On August 4, 2020, 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a storage warehouse at the Port of Beirut exploded. This explosion is said to be the largest ammonium nitrate explosion ever. By applying the TNT equivalency method, TNT equivalent amount corresponding to the explosion energy of 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate was calculated, and it is found to be 856 tons. Overpressure and impulse were calculated in a range up to 3600 m from the blast using the Kingery-Bulmash explosion parameter calculator tool. As the distance from the explosion center increases, the overpressure and impulse decrease exponentially, but the overpressure decreases more significantly, showing that overpressure is more affected by distance than the impact. As a result of applying the damage criteria to evaluate the effects of overpressure and impulse on the structure, the critical distances at which partial collapse, major damage, and minor damage to the structure occur are found to be approximately 500, 800, and 2200 m from the center of the explosion, respectively. The probit function was applied to evaluate the probability of damage to structures and human body. The points where the probability of collapse, major damage, minor damage, and breakage of window-panes to structures are greater than 50% are found to be approximately 500, 810, 2200, and 3200 m, respectively. For people within 200 m from the center of the explosion, the probability of death due to lung damage is more than 99%, and the 50% probability of eardrum rupture is approximately 300 m. The points with a 100% probability of death due to skull rupture and whole body impact due to whole body displacement are evaluated to be 300 and 100 m, respectively.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.35-43
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• 2002

For the unconfined vapor cloud explosion accident by the continuous release of gas-liquid flow of various saturated liquids in a vessel at ground level, overpressures were estimated and analyzed with various release conditions and materials by TNT equivalency model with vapor dispersion. We found that at same release conditions, overpressure showed n-heptane > xylene > n-hexane > toluene > n-heptane > benzene, respectively and that overpressure was increased with increasing the hole diameter and the storage pressure, but it was increased with decreasing the wind speed, the interested distance, and the vessel thickness.