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17.4: Explosion Energy

By Sam Mannan
From Lee's Loss Prevention in the Process Industries: Hazard Identification, Assessment and Control, Volume 2, Third Edition

17.4 Explosion Energy

As already stated, an explosion is a sudden and violent release of energy. Discussions of explosion energy are given in the High Pressure Safety Code (B.C. Cox and Saville, 1975) and by Kinney (1962), Kinney and Graham (1985), Burgess et al. (1968 BMR I7196), Eisenberg, Lynch and Breeding (1975), W.E. Baker et al. (1983), Crowl (1991, 1992a, c) and the (1994/15).

The energy released in an explosion on a process plant is normally one of the following: (1) chemical energy, (2) fluid expansion energy and/or (3) vessel strain energy.

The distribution of energy between the blast wave and missiles and any crater formation needs also to be considered as does the effect of the height above ground at which the explosion occurs.

17.4.1 Chemical energy

In considering the energy release in a chemical explosion, it is convenient to consider first condensed phase explosives, or high explosives, and then flammable gases and liquids.

The energy release in a chemical explosion is a function of the nature and state of the reactants and of the products. In general, the explosion products are not well defined. As the gas mixture cools, the chemical equilibrium shifts and the transient products disappear.

A condensed phase explosive contains its own oxygen so that it can explode even in the absence of air. It is conventional to assume certain nominal products of explosion. Explosives may be classified on the basis of nominal oxygen distribution. An oxygen-rich explosive has excess oxygen...

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