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BLEVE Description and Videos by
IAG |
BLEVE is an acronym for boiling
liquid expanding vapor explosion. This is a type of explosion
that can occur when a vessel containing a pressurized liquid
is ruptured. Such explosions can be extremely hazardous.
A BLEVE results from the rupture
of a vessel containing a liquid substantially above its atmospheric
boiling point. The substance is stored partly in liquid form,
with a gaseous vapor above the liquid filling the remainder of
the container.
If the vessel is ruptured
for example, due to corrosion, or failure under pressure
the vapor portion may rapidly leak, lowering the pressure inside
the container. This sudden drop in pressure inside the container
causes violent boiling of the liquid, which rapidly liberates
large amounts of vapor in the process. The pressure of this vapor
can be extremely high, causing a significant wave of overpressure
(an explosion) which may completely destroy the storage vessel
and project fragments over the surrounding area. BLEVEs can also
be caused by an external fire near the storage vessel causing
heating of the contents and pressure build-up.
A BLEVE can occur even with a non-flammable
substance, sometimes one that's known for being extremely cold,
like liquid nitrogen or liquid helium or other refrigerants or
cryogens, and therefore is not usually considered a type of chemical
explosion. However, if the substance involved is flammable, it
is likely that the resulting cloud of the substance will ignite
after the BLEVE has occurred, forming a fireball and possibly
a fuel-air explosion, also termed a vapor cloud explosion (VCE).
If the materials are toxic, a large area will be contaminated.[1]
Significant industrial BLEVEs include
accidents at Feyzin in France in 1966, Kingman, Arizona in 1973,
Texas City, Texas in 1978, and at San Juan Ixhuatepec in Mexico
City in 1984[2]. In 1978, a BLEVE occurred after a road accident
with an LPG truck in the Los Alfaques Disaster in Spain.
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