Propagation of the blast wave in the enclosed blast wall structure (EBWS) at a hazardous chemical storage yard—A mechanism study

Abstract

The storage and transportation of hazardous chemicals is an essential aspect of modern economic activities. The explosion of hazardous chemicals can cause significant damage to surrounding infrastructure and human life, and has become a major public concern. The enclosed blast wall structure (EBWS) is commonly used in open-air storage yards to segregate explosion hazards. However, the understanding of blast wave propagation in an EBWS is limited. In this study, the propagation of blast waves in an EBWS at a hazardous chemical storage yard was analyzed through a combination of scaled field tests and numerical simulations. The study focuses on reflection and diffraction effects in the access passage, which is connected to the opening of the EBWS for transportation purposes. A decoupling technique was proposed to evaluate the contribution of blast waves propagating through the entrance of the access passage and diffracting from above the blast wall separately. Several special wave propagation effects in EBWS were identified, such as leakage pressure and oblique incidence. The blast load experienced in the access passage were compared with current codes and prediction methods. It was found that the commonly adopted assumptions of a semi-infinite blast wall and normal incidence of blast waves underestimates the peak overpressure in the access passage and could not predict the following multiple overpressure peaks. Finally, a calculation procedure based on the TNT equivalent was proposed to predict the overpressure behind the blast wall with a slant angle.