Article,
Consequence analysis by means of characteristic curves to determine the damage to humans from bursting spherical vessels
Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 86 (2): 121--129 (March 2008)
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2007.10.004
Abstract
This paper aims at presenting a methodology to perform consequence
analysis produced by pressure waves from spherical vessel burst.
To carry out this operation characteristic curves are used. These
characteristic curves for spherical vessel burst were presented in
a previous paper González Ferradás, E., Díaz Alonso,
F., Sánchez Pérez, J.F., Miñana Aznar, A., Ruiz Gimeno,
J. and Martínez Alonso, J., 2006. Characteristic overpressure-impulse-distance
curves for vessel burst, Process Safety Progress, 25(3): 250-254.
They allow the overpressure and impulse to be determined at each
distance from the vessel. When combined with damage criteria (such
as those shown by the PROBIT equations), the characteristic curves
allow consequence analysis for this kind of explosions to be carried
out, as the damage is shown in the same diagram as the overpressure,
impulse and distance. In this paper the main PROBIT equations to
evaluate damage to humans from pressure waves (which include eardrum
rupture, death due to skull fracture, death due to whole body impact
and lung damage) are evaluated and the most suitable PROBIT equations
are selected. Diagrams are presented and equations are also developed
for using this methodology in a computer program or spread sheet
calculations.
