BLEVE Basics, A Primer on Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosions

Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosions (BLEVEs) are a special case of bursting pressure vessels in which the pressure vessel is filled with a liquid that is above its normal atmospheric boiling point. When the vessel fails, the liquid boils and adds significant energy to the bursting vessel event. The thermodynamics of these events can be very complicated and interesting and the consequences of these events can be catastrophic. This session will provide new practitioners with a working knowledge of BLEVE phenomena, potential consequences, prediction methodologies, and some sample event sequences that can lead to a BLEVE. The focus will be on developing fundamentals, discussing common misconceptions, and presenting how to deal with the most common scenarios and the session will include a worked example of a BLEVE calculation to illustrate the techniques.