Synergistic effects on the physical effects of explosions in multi-hazard coupling accidents in chemical industries

Abstract

One of the challenges of the multi-hazard coupling risk assessment is synergistic effects. This research performed experiments and numerical simulations, aiming to analyse the synergistic effects on the physical effects of explosions. The direct influences of atmospheric temperature and density on the propagation of explosion shock waves were explained and quantified through function fittings. Shock wave velocity will increase with the increase of atmospheric temperature and the decrease of atmospheric density. On the other hand, shock wave overpressure will decrease with the increase of atmospheric temperature, but not be significantly influenced by the density. The indirect synergistic effects on explosion physical effects were also explained through the analysis of the phenomena in the experiments and simulations. Temperature and density gradients could cause inhomogeneous velocity distribution and change the shapes of the shock wave fronts, thereby influencing the reflection and changing the shock wave overpressure. Based on the experimental and simulative results, the direct and indirect influences of the synergistic effects on consequence analysis and risk assessment were analysed in explosion-toxic-fire coupling accident scenarios. This research provides a multi-hazard idea for synergistic effect research, and can also be instructive for the risk assessment and safety management in chemical industries.