Coupling effects of the explosion shock wave and heat radiation on the dynamic response of a fixed-roof tank

Abstract

The occurrence of leakage in large tank farms or oil deposits can lead to fire or explosion accidents. Coupling effects of fire and explosion loadings can cause considerably more damage to adjacent tanks or buildings than either loading individually does. In this study, the combined loadings of the explosion shock wave and heat radiation from a pool fire on a neighboring empty fixed-roof tank were numerically investigated. The effects of the explosion shock wave intensity and relative height of the explosion center [the ratio of the height of the explosion center to the height of the tank (hr)] were analyzed. The results indicate that tanks damaged by explosion shock waves have decreased fire resistance and critical buckling temperature. Moreover, the thermal buckling deformation of the predamaged tank largely depends on the explosion shock wave. With an increase in the explosion shock wave intensity or a decrease in hr, the explosion shock wave has greater influence on the fire resistance of the tank, and the critical buckling temperature decreases. This paper can provide an understanding of the dynamics of a tank under explosion shock wave loading, and of the critical failure criterion and failure modes of a target tank under the coupled loading of the explosion shock wave and an adjacent pool fire.