Analysis of fire-induced ruptures of 400-L propane tanks

Journal Article · Fri Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1997 · Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2842317· OSTI ID:527606

Kielec, D J; Birk, A M ^[1]

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1. Queen`s Univ., Kingston, Ontario (Canada). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

A series of fire tests were conducted to study the thermal rupture of propane tanks. The tests involved 400-L ASME automotive propane tanks filled to 80% capacity with commercial propane. The tanks were brought to failure using torches and pool fires. The resulting thermal ruptures varied in severity from minor fissures, measuring a few centimeters in length, to catastrophic failures where the tank was flattened on the ground. The catastrophic failures would typically be called boiling liquid expanding vapor explosions (BLEVEs). The objective of this work was to develop a correlation between the failure severity and the tank condition at failure. The deformed propane tanks were measured in detail and the extent of deformation was quantified. The tank failure severity was found to be a complex function of a number of tank and lading properties at failure. This paper presents the measured data from the tanks and a step-by-step description of how the correlation was determined.

• Sponsoring Organization: Department of Transport, Ottawa, ON (Canada); Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, ON (Canada)
• OSTI ID: 527606
• Journal Information: Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology, Journal Name: Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 119; ISSN JPVTAS; ISSN 0094-9930
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
AUTOMOBILES
AUTOMOTIVE FUELS
EXPLOSIONS
FIRES
FUEL SYSTEMS
LIQUEFIED GASES
PROPANE
RUPTURES
STORAGE
SYSTEM FAILURE ANALYSIS
TANKS