A co-sponsored event organized by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers

Unplanned pressure release, resulting in the risk of fire and explosion, challenges the viability of engineering systems. Of particular interest to mechanical engineers is the design of primary safety and pressure relief systems, through which the crucial avoidance of containment failure is achieved. Ensuring controlled discharge and secondary safety issues requires a detailed understanding of the underlying thermofluid aspects, for example, the effective modelling of the movement of flammable gas mixtures and smoke. Underpinning this understanding are the concepts of risk assessment and the development of a plant safety case.

This seminar will review the current state-of-the-art understanding of fluid releases from pipe-work, valves and pressure vessels. Presentations will address both the underlying experimental data and recent work on simulation and computational modelling. There will be opportunity to discuss the influence of the complex thermofluid phenomena and for example, the impact of these phenomena on the critical discharge rate. This may be linked to dynamic loading placed on the pipe-work and supporting and other structures. Design considerations with emphasis on thermofluid, thermo-chemical and gas exchange processes are critical. Other important factors include the possibility of chemical reactions and their control, and the performance of the containment, control valves and pressure relief systems.

This seminar will cover:
• Multi-phase/multi-component flows – including the influence of real fluid flow effects (e.g. phase change, slip, viscous action)
• Exothermic chemical reactions and runaway
• Flow induced loading and the adequacy of venting arrangements
• Vapour clouds and the creation of explosive/flammable conditions
• Fires and smoke movement
• Risk assessment – and the implication of uncertainty in the above thermofluid areas for the safety analysis
• Relevant case studies

Registration required:

Yes

Free:

No