Preventing boiling liquid expanding vapor explosions
- Loss Control Associates, Inc., Langhorne, PA (United States)
A Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion (BLEVE) is a phenomenon that occurs when a liquid that is contained under pressure and at a temperature significantly above its atmospheric boiling point is suddenly released from containment. As this occurs the liquid vaporizes almost instantaneously and expands to several thousand times its original volume with explosive force. If the BLEVE involves a flammable liquid or a liquefied flammable gas the initial explosion will generally be followed by the instantaneous ignition of the released vapors, resulting in a massive fireball and increased explosive force. Understanding this phenomenon is of great importance to those responsible for protecting facilities where large quantities of flammable liquids or liquefied flammable gases are handled or stored in pressure vessels.
- OSTI ID:
- 287561
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-950927--; ISBN 0-8169-0660-2
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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