LPG stored at the wildland–urban interface: recent events and the effects of jet fires and BLEVE
Thiago Fernandes Barbosa
A * , Luís Reis B , Jorge Raposo B , Tiago Rodrigues B and Domingos Xavier Viegas B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Civil Engineering, ADAI (Associação para o Desenvolvimento da Aerodinâmica Industrial), University of Coimbra, Rua Luís Reis Santos, Pólo II, 3030-788 Coimbra, Portugal.
B Department of Mechanical Engineering, ADAI, University of Coimbra, Rua Luís Reis Santos, Pólo II, 3030-788 Coimbra, Portugal.
* Correspondence to: thiago.barbosa@adai.pt
International Journal of Wildland Fire 32(3) 388-402 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF22084
Submitted: 1 June 2022 Accepted: 27 December 2022 Published: 25 January 2023
© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of IAWF. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)
Abstract
Background: Jet fires and boiling liquid expanding vapour explosions (BLEVEs) are potential events when a vessel containing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is exposed to fire. Events involving domestic LPG tanks have occurred at wildland–urban interface areas in Portugal, the USA, Spain and Greece.
Aims: Evaluation of the pressure relief device (PRD), the type of cylinder and the effects of jet fires and BLEVEs.
Methods: LPG cylinders manufactured with steel and composite materials were exposed to fire. Hydrostatic tests were carried out to compare the burst pressure without fire influence. Fourteen accidents that occurred during wildfires are described.
Key results: The presence of a PRD and the right choice of type of cylinder as well as cylinder location may avert major accidents. The jet fires and fireball radiation are also described, as well as the maximum distance reached by cylinder fragments.
Conclusions: The tests showed that the burst pressure in the test of a cylinder without PRD under fire was significantly lower when compared with the hydrostatic tests.
Implications: Lastly, recommendations to avoid accidents are made.
Keywords: accident, BLEVE, explosion, forest fire, fragmentation, gas, jet fire, LPG cylinders, pressure relief device, wildfire, wildland–urban interface fires.
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