SIMULATION OF GAS-EXPLOSIONS

Gas explosion hazard assessments in flammable gas handling operations both offshore and onshore are crucial in order to obtain an acceptable level of safety. In order to perform such assessments good predictive tools are needed, which take account of the relevant parameters, such as geometrical design variables and gas cloud type and distribution. Numerical simulation methods capable of predicting flame and pressure development in turbulent gas explosions are presented. Special attention is given to methods which adopt the k-epsilon model of turbulence and the eddy-dissipation model of turbulent combustion. Several verification calculations are presented, which include a variety of geometrical layouts as well as a range of different fuel-air mixtures. Comparisons between simulated and measured explosion data are in general in good agreement.