Overview

Raymond Bennett
Quentin Baker

April 2019

Large Vapor Cloud Explosions (VCE) have the potential for producing off-site property damage. The methods for predicting the blast pressure and impulse in the far field are discussed as is the potential for focusing due to atmospheric and topographic effects. The use of an appropriate VCE blast prediction method is presented with an emphasis on ensuring that the model for any given incident matches the damage in and near the explosion source and not just in the far-field.

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raymond bennett

quentin baker, PE, CFEI, CFII

Quentin Baker, PE, CFEI, CFII

Mr. Baker is a member of BakerRisk’s Blast Effects Group. His work focuses on explosion and combustion phenomena. He has conducted numerous R&D projects, hazard analyses, and engineering studies involving airblast effects from a wide variety of explosion sources, blast loads, fragmentation effects, debris throw, blast damage, and personnel injury.

Injury prediction and risk analysis have also been the subject of Mr. Baker’s research; he has contributed to the development of a building occupant vulnerability model. He has also investigated explosions and fires including chemical processing facilities, upstream oil and gas, midstream/pipeline, grain storage and handling, rail, and ship.

Committees

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA): NFPA 921 Committee
Texas A&M University: Mechanical Engineering Industrial Advisory Council

Specialties

Incident Investigation

Papers

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