Chemical Process Safety CL 444: Problem Set 2 (Answers are provided in bold parenthesis) Explosions 1.

A certain explosion leads to a blast that produces an overpressure of 47,000 N/m2 at a plant site. Compute (i) the fraction of people who will suffer lung hemorrhage (ii) the fraction of structures that may be damaged. [0%; 99.5%] 2. One kg of TNT is exploded. Compute the overpressure at a distance of 30 m from the explosion. [0.8psi] 3. A large cloud of a certain explosive gas was released and eventually ignited producing a vapour cloud explosion. Estimate the quantity of gas released if the blast shattered windows 0.8 km from the source of ignition. Energy of explosion of the gas = 2000 cal/gm. Assume that overpressure for glass failure is 0.5psi. [46T] 4. A vapour cloud explosion with methane (explosion energy = 1500 cal/gm) led to a partial demolition (which occurs at 2psi overpressure) of a building 100 m away from ignition source. Compute the amount (kg) of methane released during the explosion. [4.5T] 5. In a certain plant a propane vapour cloud explosion (energy of explosion is 1000 cal/gm) occurs, resulting in a eardrum rupture of 60% of workers located at an average distance of 20 m from the source of explosion. Calculate the amount (kg) of propane vapour that may have exploded. [1.5T] 6. A reactor contains 40000 kg of a certain explosive substance, which releases about 2240 cal/gm of energy on explosion. Estimate the probabilities of injury to people working 150 m away from the explosion source (TNT explosion energy = 1120 cal/gm), = 0.05. [fatality = 0%; eardrum rupture = 7%] Fires 7. A ground level tank containing 150,000 kg of propane explodes as a BLEVE in an accident. If a person is at 200m (measured from the BLEVE centerline) for 5 seconds, what is the chance of his facing fatality? Data: Humidity Partial pressure = 2850 N/m2; Propane Combustion Energy = 46350 kJ/kg (of which 30% is emitted as radiation). [~ 100%] 8. A ground level tank containing 90,000 kg of propane explodes as a BLEVE in an accident. Determine the distance (on the ground level) from the BLEVE centerline at which no more than 1% fatality from thermal radiation is likely. Assume that BLEVE radiation effects are the same in terms of probabilities of fatality as from pool fires. Data: Assume transmissivity of 0.7; Propane Combustion Energy = 46350 kJ/kg (of which 30% is emitted as radiation). [450m] 9. A hexane pool fire 30 m diameter occurs after a spill. (i) Calculate the heat flux falling on a target at 50m from the pool edge. (ii) Calculate the distance (from the pool edge) at which the heat flux received by a target is 10 kW/m2? Data: Pool burning rate = 0.15 kg/m2s; Hexane Combustion Energy = 45000 kJ/kg (of which 40% is emitted as radiation); Assume that air transmissivity is =0.8, and is independent of target distance. [48.6kW/m2; 110m] 10. A hexane pool fire occurs after a spill. The heat flux incident on a heat exchanger at 40m from the pool edge is ~10kW/m2. Calculate the pool diameter that may have resulted. Data: Pool burning rate = 0.15kg/ m2s; Combustion energy of hexane = 45000kJ/kg (radiation fraction = 35%). Humidity Partial Pressure = 2820 N/m2. [6.2m] Probit Calculations 11. What is the chance of fatality if a person is exposed to (ii) 20 ppm of chlorine for 60 min. (ii) 60 ppm for 60 min? (iii) 100 ppm for 60 min? [0; 0; 50%]

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If the gas is phosgene what is the chance of fatality for (i) 10 ppm and exposure for an hour? (ii) 20 ppm and exposure for an hour? (iii) 100 ppm and exposure for an hour? [24; 97; 100%] What is the LC50 for HCN for an exposure of (i) an hour (ii) for 10 min? [170ppm] If a person receives 20 kW/m2 of heat radiation from a fire for 20 s, what is the chance of his fatality? [2%] If in a certain explosion 10% of people suffer from eardrum rupture, what is the overpressure (N/m2) that have caused it? [3.2 psi] Compute the heat radiation intensity that is required to cause 60% chance of fatality to a person for exposure duration of 20s? [218kW/m2] In order to tackle emergency release of Hydrogen Fluoride (HF) a company has identified a certain concentration CE (ppm) which is defined as follows: it is the concentration which will cause 1% fatality if a person is exposed to it for 30 min. The probit equation for HF exposure is: Y = 35.87 + 3.354 ln (Ct), C = HF conc. in ppm, t = min of exposure (i) Calculate CE (ii) If at a certain location a person faces 60% chance of fatality for 30 min exposure what is the likely concentration of HF at that point? [3258ppm; 6966ppm]

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