Development of efficient methods for prediction of medium to large scale BLEVE pressure in open space

The current practice in predicting the Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapour Explosion (BLEVE) pressure for structural response analysis and design is based mainly on some semi-empirical energy equivalency methods. These methods are relatively easy to use but may not give accurate BLEVE pressure predictions. Using numerical simulations can yield better BLEVE pressure predictions, but it requires profound modelling knowledge and is time-consuming, which may not be viable to many design and consulting offices. This study generates empirical formulae and charts for easy and accurate predictions of BLEVE pressure using in the analysis and design of structures against BLEVE loads. The empirical relations of critical parameters, namely the side-on peak pressure, peak pressure rise time, duration, arrival time and impulse that are needed to fully define the pressure-time history, as functions of BLEVE parameters are established. The performances of the proposed empirical formulae and charts are evaluated by comparing the prediction results with experimental data. It is proven that the developed BLEVE pressure prediction equations and charts are easy to use and yield more accurate BLEVE pressure predictions than other commonly used empirical methods.