Pressure vessel rupture within a chamber: The pressure history on the chamber wall

Abstract

Generally there are a large number of pressure vessels containing high-pressure gas on power station and chemical plant sites. In many instances, particularly in a power plant, these vessels are within the main building. If one were to fail, the surrounding structures would be exposed to blast loads and the forces resulting from jets of fluid issuing from the breached vessel. If the vessel were in a relatively closed chamber there would also be a general overpressurization of the chamber. Preliminary experiments have been undertaken to establish the form of the pressure-loading history resulting from the release of a pressure vessel end cap in a chamber of simple geometry. The influence of the degree of confinement on the chamber pressure history is illustrated by comparison of data/from tests in a fully closed chamber and in a chamber with an open top.