Analysis of causes of combustible mixture explosions inside production floor areas

Anton Lyapin,Evgeniy Meshalkin,Anton Korolchenko,V Andreev

doi:10.1051/matecconf/20168604030

Anton Lyapin, Evgeniy Meshalkin + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/20168604030

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Abstract

The work provides a cause analysis for major industrial explosions and a review of the causes of combustive air-gas mixture generation in a production environment. It has been established that during operation of explosive production facilities, it is process equipment that, as a rule, creates explosive environment inside the floor area. A qualitative method for determination of a potential accident has been reviewed. Analysis of the nature of explosion effect on building structures and equipment has shown that exposions characterised by absence of equipment and building structure disintegration normally have a localized character. It has been identified that during explosions inside process equipment, the largest structural damage occurs in spots hit by equipment debris. Complete destruction of building structures and equipment is caused by explosions inside equipment containing large quantities of combustible products. It has been identified that most explosions are accompanied by partial or total destruction of building structures and equipment. Therefore, measures taken to protect equipment and buildings from explosion effects lack efficiency.

Highlights

In most cases, generation of explosive gas-air mixture within a building is related to leakages and accidental releases of combustible gases to the atmosphere of the floor area
As a result: 1. The accident causes in terms of explosiveness of an operated production site are: lowquality installation of process equipment; faulty control and instrumentation equipment; errors in design documents; defective equipment parts; faulty elements of main process equipment; errors in development of the process order; violated operation safety rules for process equipment; low-quality preventive maintenance of equipment; errors in development of the process order; violation of equipment repair rules; corrosion in the walls of equipment parts and pipelines; other causes
Explosions involving partial destruction of equipment or building structures occur both inside the equipment and the production floor, and the destruction amount depends on the type of the combustible mixture, its volume and concentration

Summary

Introduction

Generation of explosive gas-air mixture within a building is related to leakages and accidental releases of combustible gases to the atmosphere of the floor area. Statistics of intra-building accidental explosions are not systematized; in order to obtain a cause-based picture of explosion distribution, 134 category accidents have been analyzed, which occurred at different times at domestic chemical and petrochemical facilities.

Results

Conclusion