Determination of explosion reference pressure is important in designing and testing flameproof enclosures (Ex d). Although relative humidity affects to explosion pressure, its effect is not well investigated for the gas group IIB, IIA, and I. This study tested explosion pressure for Ethylene (8 vol.%), Propane (4.6 vol.%), and Methane (9.8 vol.%), which are the representative gas of the gas group IIB, IIA, and I, at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure (1 atm) under different relative humidity (0% ~ 80%). Ethylene- and Propane-air mixed gases generally tended to decrease as the relative humidity increased; however, explosion pressure was largely dropped at 20% of relative humidity compared to 0% and 10% of relative humidity. On the other hand, Methane-air mixture gas showed similar pressures at 0% and 10% of relative humidity; but no explosion occurred at more than 20%. The results of this study can be used in setting a testing protocol of explosion reference pressure for designing and testing a flameproof enclosure.

산업현장과 열병합발전 등 다양한 장소에 사용되는 도시가스는 산업안전보건법 정의에 따라 인화성 가스에 해당되며 한국산업표준 KS C IEC에 의해 가스 폭발위험장소가 설정되어 안전하게 관리가 되어야 한다. 본 연구에서는 일반 화학공장에 적용되는 KS C IEC 표준을 저압 도시가스 사용설비 폭발위험성 예측에 합리적으로 적용하기 위해누출공 크기, 환기 등급, 환기 유효성 등의 주요 변수를 도입하였다.CFD 시뮬레이션 적용의 타당성을 평가하기 위해 전산유체역학 (CFD) 시뮬레이션, 가스누출실험, KS C IEC 표준 계산 통해 얻어진 폭발하한계가상 체적을 이용하여 네 가지 다른 조건에서 폭발 위험성을 평가하였다.

Gas turbines for power generating operate in a very high temperature condition and use natural gas for fuel. For this reason, many cases of damage happen at hot gas parts which are severely affected by high temperature gas and many cases of explosion occur by fuel gas. So a lot of efforts should be made to prevent hot gas parts damage and gas explosion accidents. Though there are many damage cases and explosion accidents, it is very difficult to find out the root causes of hot gas parts damage caused by gas explosion due to gas leakage in the heat exchanger for air cooling and gas heating. To prevent gas turbine from damage caused by gas explosion, removal of leakage gas from gas turbine is inevitably required before firing the gas turbine and installing alarm systems is also required for detecting gas leakage at stop valve to turbine while shut down.

Gas turbines generating power operate in high temperature condition and use natural gas as fuel. For that reason, there are many cases where damage is done to the hot gas parts caused by the high temperature and many accidents occur like gas explosions, then various efforts are needed to maintain the hot gas parts and prevent accidents. It is difficult to find the root causes of damage to the hot gas parts from the gas explosion caused by gas leakage through rotor cooling air line from fuel gas heat exchanger during the shut down. To prevent gas turbine from damage, removal of gas leakage inside of gas turbine is required by purging the turbine before firing, improving the fuel gas heating system and installing alarm systems for detecting gas leakage from stop valve to turbine while the gas turbine has shut down.

This paper analyses the effect of parameters on the consequences of the unconfined vapor cloud explosion accident (UVCE) by the release of heavy gas (xylene vapor). Simulation results showed that the overpresure was increased with the increase of the release hole diameter and with the decrease of the interested distance and the wind speed. While, the overpresure was not nearly affected by the release height, weather and environmental conditions. From the results of the consequence analysis and analysis of affecting the consequences of UVCE, the emergency plan should be established taking into account these parameters.

For the unconfined vapor cloud explosion accident by the continuous release of gas-liquid flow of various saturated liquids in a vessel at ground level, overpressures were estimated and analyzed with various release conditions and materials by TNT equivalency model with vapor dispersion. We found that at same release conditions, overpressure showed n-heptane > xylene > n-hexane > toluene > n-heptane > benzene, respectively and that overpressure was increased with increasing the hole diameter and the storage pressure, but it was increased with decreasing the wind speed, the interested distance, and the vessel thickness.