Abstract
AbstractMany firewater systems employ diesel fuel pumps that require nearby diesel storage tanks. If a flammable release and subsequent vapor cloud explosion (VCE) occurs near a firewater pumping station, it is important to understand the impact that the blast load will have on the fuel tanks. This presentation describes an evaluation of the blast response of 350‐gal diesel fuel tanks 80% filled with water to simulate a nearly full diesel tank. The tanks were elevated 6 ft above grade. The deflagration load generator (DLG) test rig was used to impose blast loads of 1–10 psig and 50–180 psi‐ms on a 3 × 3 fuel tank array. Each row of three tanks was rotated to different orientations with respect to the blast load: parallel (face‐on), 45°, and 90° (side‐on). Pressure gauges and high‐speed video recorded the blast loads and dynamic response of the fuel tanks. The results indicate that, depending on orientation and blast load, the tank support structures may undergo plastic deformation and translate in space during loading, although the tanks were still functional post‐test under the blast loads imposed in these tests. A limited comparison between response predictions made using finite element analysis and the test data is provided.
Published Version
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