Conference Papers
Pressure vessels that operate at high pressures (greater than 10,000 psi [69 MPa]) pose several potential hazards to nearby personnel. Some of these hazards include projectile launch, water jetting, and blast loads that may occur as a result of a pneumatic or hydrostatic pressure vessel failure. In order to provide personnel protection, pressure vessels may be placed inside hardened test enclosures designed to contain these hazards. Some of the key response mechanisms that should be considered when designing such enclosures include applied blast loads for pneumatic testing), localized barrier perforation, global or gross barrier response, and generation of secondary debris from damage to a barrier, such as back-face spalling. Some of these hazards and shielding responses have been evaluated experimentally in the High Pressure Testing Safety Research Joint Industry Program [1, 2, 3]. This paper describes some of these hazards and some considerations for providing personnel protection.
As the biofuels industry continues to expand in support of global decarbonization mandates and objectives, facility owners and developers are being challenged to balance production efficiency, operational reliability, and personnel safety.
As high hazard facilities, biofuels sites should focus on developing a fire protections strategy informed by performance-based analysis so strategies implemented meet the unique challenges found at each facility.
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