Safety assessment of industrial locations under the effects generated by controlled explosions

Abstract

The identification and consideration of various potential hazards significantly reduce the accidents in the industrial locations where specific operations with explosive materials take place. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects generated by external explosions produced near an experimental steel frame building model. The novelty of the paper is the combination of experimental results on site with data from specialised databases of accidental explosions. These data were integrated using computer modelling to evaluate the risk associated with different hazardous situations (shockwave propagation, spreading of debris), and the effects on the location. The numerical simulations were performed using IMESAFR software, which is a quantitative risk assessment tool and can be used to calculate risk to personnel from commercial explosives facilities and operations. The results of the simulations were used to design the perimeter security within the site and the placement of the experimental model, considering the maximum expected blast charge. Considering the limited space available on site, the results of the simulations were very valuable and confirmed the tests that were already planned can be performed without any risk for personnel, nearby buildings and facilities.