... critical combinations of safeguard failures; action points for automatic or operator control ... more ... critical combinations of safeguard failures; action points for automatic or operator control of a process; situations involving hazardous reactant ratios; failure-initiating and failure-enabling events and intervention by the operator; ''daisy-chain'' hazards, eg, in batch processes and ...
Rupture of a container in which a liquid is held above its atmospheric-pressure boiling point can... more Rupture of a container in which a liquid is held above its atmospheric-pressure boiling point can result in explosive vaporization of a large fraction of the contents. This phe nomenon is called a Boiling-Liquid Expanding-Vapor Explosion ("BLEVE"). A method for estimating the TNT equivalence of a BLEVE is proposed, with descriptions of possible causes and consequences of the explosion and
Accidents are caused; they just don't happen. Numerous articles have been written by knowledg... more Accidents are caused; they just don't happen. Numerous articles have been written by knowledgeable authors on what really causes accidents. There have been many heated disagreements on the statistics of percentages of mishaps that are people caused, equipment caused and so on. The numbers are not of primary importance. One way or another, plant operations must accommodate the actions of workers, and workers must adjust their habits to conform to a plant's safety requirements. Managing safety in high-pressure equipment is no inherently different from managing safety in other types of operations. The fact remains, though, that the stakes may be considerably higher. Upsets of high-pressure processes frequently cause releases of hazardous materials or explosions. A basic stance for all design and operational approaches should be that all accidents are preventable.
Rupture of a container in which a liquid is held above its atmospheric-pressure boiling point can... more Rupture of a container in which a liquid is held above its atmospheric-pressure boiling point can result in explosive vaporization of a large fraction of the contents. This phe nomenon is called a Boiling-Liquid Expanding-Vapor Explosion ("BLEVE"). A method for estimating the TNT equivalence of a BLEVE is proposed, with descriptions of possible causes and consequences of the explosion and
The recent incident in Beirut, Lebanon, on August 4, 2020, has raised the awareness of the explos... more The recent incident in Beirut, Lebanon, on August 4, 2020, has raised the awareness of the explosion hazards of ammonium nitrate [AN]. Although AN has been used for many years as an ingredient in explosives and also as a fertilizer, recognition of AN as a self-reactive material with the potential for detonation is not well-known to regulatory authorities. As a consequence, inadequate control of storage has led to massive and disastrous explosions, typically following fire in the storage structures or in nearby storage of combustible materials. The purpose of this historical summary of AN incidents is to highlight the explosion hazards and to provide some insight into the measures that are needed to prevent such incidents.
... critical combinations of safeguard failures; action points for automatic or operator control ... more ... critical combinations of safeguard failures; action points for automatic or operator control of a process; situations involving hazardous reactant ratios; failure-initiating and failure-enabling events and intervention by the operator; ''daisy-chain'' hazards, eg, in batch processes and ...
Rupture of a container in which a liquid is held above its atmospheric-pressure boiling point can... more Rupture of a container in which a liquid is held above its atmospheric-pressure boiling point can result in explosive vaporization of a large fraction of the contents. This phe nomenon is called a Boiling-Liquid Expanding-Vapor Explosion ("BLEVE"). A method for estimating the TNT equivalence of a BLEVE is proposed, with descriptions of possible causes and consequences of the explosion and
Accidents are caused; they just don't happen. Numerous articles have been written by knowledg... more Accidents are caused; they just don't happen. Numerous articles have been written by knowledgeable authors on what really causes accidents. There have been many heated disagreements on the statistics of percentages of mishaps that are people caused, equipment caused and so on. The numbers are not of primary importance. One way or another, plant operations must accommodate the actions of workers, and workers must adjust their habits to conform to a plant's safety requirements. Managing safety in high-pressure equipment is no inherently different from managing safety in other types of operations. The fact remains, though, that the stakes may be considerably higher. Upsets of high-pressure processes frequently cause releases of hazardous materials or explosions. A basic stance for all design and operational approaches should be that all accidents are preventable.
Rupture of a container in which a liquid is held above its atmospheric-pressure boiling point can... more Rupture of a container in which a liquid is held above its atmospheric-pressure boiling point can result in explosive vaporization of a large fraction of the contents. This phe nomenon is called a Boiling-Liquid Expanding-Vapor Explosion ("BLEVE"). A method for estimating the TNT equivalence of a BLEVE is proposed, with descriptions of possible causes and consequences of the explosion and
The recent incident in Beirut, Lebanon, on August 4, 2020, has raised the awareness of the explos... more The recent incident in Beirut, Lebanon, on August 4, 2020, has raised the awareness of the explosion hazards of ammonium nitrate [AN]. Although AN has been used for many years as an ingredient in explosives and also as a fertilizer, recognition of AN as a self-reactive material with the potential for detonation is not well-known to regulatory authorities. As a consequence, inadequate control of storage has led to massive and disastrous explosions, typically following fire in the storage structures or in nearby storage of combustible materials. The purpose of this historical summary of AN incidents is to highlight the explosion hazards and to provide some insight into the measures that are needed to prevent such incidents.
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