Mohammed Jabbar Ajrash Al-Zuraiji
The University of Newcastle, Australia
Title: Impacts of natural gas explosion pressure waves in pipes on infrastructure in the petrochemical industry
Biography
Biography: Mohammed Jabbar Ajrash Al-Zuraiji
Abstract
Pressure waves are an important parameter in characterizing the potential damage of explosions on plant infrastructure. The development of chemical plants is established in accordance with safety standards. Understanding the consequences of explosions, however, contributes to increasing safety standards in process industries. A large scale detonation tube has been built at University of Newcastle, Australia. The setup is 30 m long with 0.5 m diameter with 66 pressure transducers and photodiodes mounted along the diameter of detonation tube to measure the flame and pressure wave development. Natural gas was injected in four different configurations which were: 3 m, 6 m, 12 m and 25 m reactive section lengths. The initial ignition was delivered via an explosion of stoichiometric methane air mixture in the first section of the detonation tube. The strength of the pressure wave was extrapolated by measuring of dynamic pressure, which has accomplished by employing two pitot tubes at the end of the detonation tube. The results indicated that the length of active section is a pivotal factor in determining the expected level of damage. An explosion of 9.5% methane in a 3 m active section had potential to cause total building destruction. However, the explosion of 9.5% methane concentration at 6 m, 12 m and 25 m active section lengths had potential expose to direct blast effects, which are responsible for 1-99% of explosion related fatalities. Finally, it is expected that a steel frame buildings will distort and pulled away from foundation from explosions of 5% to 15% methane concentration.
