Explosion Hazards in the Process Industries

Explosion Hazards in the Process Industries, Second Edition, delivers the most current and comprehensive content for today’s process engineer. Process safety and petrochemical engineers inherently accept that there is a risk of explosions when working on process facilities such as plants and refineries. Yet many that enter this field do not have a fundamental starting point to understand the nature of explosions, and there are a lot of misconceptions and impartial information in the market.

Explosion Hazards in the Process Industries, Second Edition, answers this need by providing engineers and consultants a go-to reference and training guide to understand the principles of explosions, what causes them, and how to mitigate and prevent them from reoccurring. Enhanced to include new chapters on BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosions), water vapor explosions, and destructive effects from accidental explosions, this guide continues to fulfill a comprehensive introduction to the subject, rounded out with new case studies, references, and a discussion on methods of hazard and risk analysis.

• Offers a comprehensive introduction to process safety
• Includes updated new chapters on Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosions (BLEVE), water vapor explosions, and destructive effects for accidental explosions
• Gains new case studies, references, and standards to stay on top of what is new and critical
• Establishes the starting point to process safety and understanding the fundamentals of explosions and how to mitigate them

Process Engineers, Safety Engineers, Chemical Engineers, Mechanical Engineers in the Process Industries, Managers in the Process Industries, and Safety Consultants

Chapter One. Introduction

• 1.1. Process Safety—A Persistent Challenge
• 1.2. What Is an Explosion?
• 1.3. Gas/Vapor and Dust Explosions—Real Hazards in the Process Industries
• 1.4. How and Where Accidental Explosive Gas/Vapor and Dust Clouds Are Generated in the Process Industries: Basic Differences
• 1.5. European Definition of “Explosive Atmospheres”
• 1.6. Domino/Escalation Effects From Accidental Explosions
• 1.7. The “Human Factor” in Process Safety

Chapter Two. Gas and Vapor Cloud Explosions

• 2.1. Combustion of Gases and Vapors
• 2.2. Ignition of Premixed Gas/Vapor and Air
• 2.3. Case Histories of Accidental Gas/Vapor Cloud Explosions
• 2.4. Means of Preventing and Mitigating/Controlling Gas/Vapor Explosions in the Process Industries

Chapter Three. Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosions (BLEVEs)

• 3.1. Definitions and Characteristics of BLEVEs
• 3.2. Chain of Events Leading to BLEVEs and Their Consequences
• 3.3. Induction Time Preceding BLEVEs: Long-Duration BLEVEs
• 3.4. The Role of Superheat Limit Temperature of the Liquid in BLEVE Development
• 3.5. Properties and Effects of Fireballs From BLEVEs
• 3.6. BLEVE Case Histories
• 3.7. Preventing Basic Technical Causes That Can Lead to BLEVEs
• 3.8. Preventing Catastrophic Rupturing of Pressure-Liquefied Gas Vessels Engulfed in Fire
• 3.9. Reducing Consequences If a BLEVE Does Occur

Chapter Four. Water-Vapor Explosions

• 4.1. Overview of Topics Covered
• 4.2. Unconfined Water-Vapor Explosions
• 4.3. Some Other Kinds of Water-Vapor Explosions
• 4.4. Measures for Preventing and Mitigating Water-Vapor Explosions
• 4.5. Concluding Statement

Chapter Five. Explosions of Clouds of Combustible Liquid Droplets in Air

• 5.1. Introduction
• 5.2. Generation of Clouds of Liquid Droplets in Air
• 5.3. Combustion of Clouds of Liquid Droplets in Air (Spray/Mist)
• 5.4. Ignition of Clouds of Liquid Droplets in Air (Spray/Mist)
• 5.5. Case Histories of Mist/Spray Explosions
• 5.6. Means of Preventing and Mitigating Mist/Spray Explosions in the Process Industries

Chapter Six. Gas and Dust Explosions Caused by Smoldering Combustion in Powder Layers and Deposits

• 6.1. Burning Velocities/Rates in Powder Layers and Deposits
• 6.2. Initiation of Combustion in Powder/Dust Layers and Deposits
• 6.3. Explosion Initiation Processes by Smoldering/Glowing Material
• 6.4. Case Histories of Accidental Smoldering Combustion in Silos, Resulting Gas Explosions, and Adopted Extinction Procedures
• 6.5. Measures for Preventing Excessive Self-Heating in Silos

Chapter Seven. Dust Explosions

• 7.1. What Is a Dust Explosion?
• 7.2. Combustion of Dust Clouds in Air
• 7.3. Ignition of Dust Clouds in Air
• 7.4. Case Histories of Dust Explosions
• 7.5. Means of Preventing and Mitigating Dust Explosions in the Process Industries

Chapter Eight. Explosives, Pyrotechnics, and Propellants

• 8.1. Chemical Composition of Some Explosives
• 8.2. Combustion Propagation in Explosives/Pyrotechnics/Propellants
• 8.3. Ignition/Initiation of Explosives/Pyrotechnics/Propellants
• 8.4. Case Histories of Accidental Explosives/Pyrotechnics/Propellants Explosions
• 8.5. Measures for Preventing and Mitigating Accidental Explosions of Explosives, Propellants, and Pyrotechnics

Chapter Nine. Destructive and Harmful Effects by Pressure, Solid Fragments, and Heat From Accidental Explosions

• 9.1. Effects of External Blast Waves From Explosions
• 9.2. Harmful Effects on Humans of Mechanical Fragments Ejected by Explosions
• 9.3. Hazardous Effects on Humans of Direct Contact With, and Thermal Radiation From, Flames/Fireballs

Chapter Ten. Design of Electrical Apparatuses for Hazardous Areas

• 10.1. Classification of Hazardous Areas
• 10.2. Basic Design Concepts for Electrical Apparatuses for Use in Contact With Substances That Can Cause Explosions

Chapter Eleven. Review of Some Methods of Hazard and Risk Analysis

• 11.1. Introduction
• 11.2. Preliminary Hazard Inventories
• 11.3. Process/Systems Checklists
• 11.4. Safety Audits
• 11.5. Relative Risk Ranking Using Dow and Mond Indices
• 11.6. “What-if” Analysis
• 11.7. Hazard and Operability Studies (HAZOP)
• 11.8. Failure Modes, Effect, and Criticality Analysis (FMECA)
• 11.9. Fault Tree Analysis (FTA)
• 11.10. Event Tree Analysis (ETA)
• 11.11. Cause–Consequence Analysis (CCA)
• 11.12. Quantitative Risk Analysis (QRA)
• 11.13. Human-Error Analysis (HEA)