Efficacy of water spray protection against propane and butane jet fires impinging on LPG storage tanks

The boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion (BLEVE): Mechanism, consequence assessment, management

“…To cut off the heat load once a PLG vessel gets engulfed in fire, it has to be subjected to what is called 'directed water deluge' [110]. Water must be applied as soon as possible, with a layer of adequate thickness which should totally cover the vessel wall, especially those areas directly covered with flame.…”

“…But if the PLG vessel is being impinged by jet fire the water deluge is less effective; it cannot be relied upon to maintain a water film over the whole tank surface [110]. The dry patches, where the water film broke down got heated to about 350 • C in 10 min during the course of full-scale tests reported by Shirvill [110].…”

Escalation thresholds in the assessment of domino accidental events

“…A number of active and passive mitigation actions are possible to limit the probability of escalation caused by jet fires (thermal insulation, water deluges and fire walls). However, recent results indicated that even in the presence of water deluges and of thermal insulation, hot spots may be formed on the shell of vessels exposed to jet fire impingement, possibly resulting in the BLEVE or in the mechanical explosions of the vessel [50][51][52]. As a consequence, no safety criteria may be defined with respect to escalation when jet fire impingement is of concern.…”

Prevention of domino effect: From active and passive strategies to inherently safer design

“…water deluges) and passive protections (e.g. thermal insulation), hot spots may cause the failure of vessels exposed to jet fires [28][29][30]. As a consequence, the escalation radius depends mainly on the maximum flame length, i.e.…”