BakerRisk’s Research and Development programs support real-world incident investigations, analytical solutions validated by testing, and innovative product development. From simple component tests to joint-industry research programs spanning many decades, our dedicated pursuit of knowledge continues to advance BakerRisk’s methods and tools to help our clients identify, evaluate, and manage hazards and risks.
Collaborate, Research, and Solve
A further example of our dedication to investing in research, the Explosion Research Cooperative (ERC) is a joint industry research program started by BakerRisk in 1993 to serve as a resource for the oil, gas, and chemical processing industries to come together and share research, experiences, and best practices. The research supports improvements in explosion hazard models, structural damage, injury models, and structural design techniques to mitigate these hazards.
How it works
Most organizations are not equipped to conduct the scale of research and testing needed to improve the prediction and risk management of accidental explosions. That’s where the ERC can assist.
The goal of this ongoing program is to undertake studies aimed at solving problems common throughout chemical processing industries and sharing the results, benefits, and costs among all participating companies. Research studies focus on preventing or mitigating explosions, quantifying hazards, analyzing siting of occupied buildings, designing protective structures, and upgrading existing buildings to resist blast and thermal loads.
The ERC is funded by chemical, petrochemical, and refining companies interested in understanding and predicting explosion hazards and their consequences on buildings, process equipment, and people. The ERC utilizes pooled funds from each of the participating companies in a cost-effective way to conduct such research and promote the exchange of information and results. The projects, scope of work, and proposed budgets are defined by vote of all participating companies at ERC meetings. Participation is open to companies operating with flammable and explosion hazards.
Benefits
Semi-annual meetings provide opportunities to interact with industry representatives.
Leveraged research funding – the pooling of research funds allows participating companies to receive over 20x their investment in research each year.
ERC participants have the ability to purchase all previous years’ research.
2023 Participants
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Investigate and Improve
In April 2020, BakerRisk launched the Ammonia and Fertilizer Joint Industry Program (A&F JIP) to investigate potential damage and failure mechanisms of equipment in ammonia and fertilizer services so that appropriate mitigation practices can be identified and implemented. The program launched with nine international industry members but has grown significantly. All members receive and contribute to regular update presentations and meetings, roundtable discussions on priority topics, webinars for the members, and comprehensive reports for the A&F JIP study topics. Participation in the Program is open to all companies with ammonia and fertilizer operations.
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Studies and Reports
Current members use A&F JIP reports and studies to improve mechanical integrity, reliability, plant operations, and safety at their facilities, and as a training resource for their staff.
In future years, A&F JIP studies will include other equipment and reliability topics in addition to emerging ammonia hazard and consequence challenges. Priority study topics for each year are identified and selected by the members and BakerRisk.
Current A&F JIP members
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Our Specialists
Papers and Thought Leadership
API RP 586 Inspections for HTHA and API 941 Remaining Life Prediction Methodologies
Corrosion Damage Control on Urea Equipment Urea Equipment
Corrosion Damage Mechanism Review and Mitigation Methodology for Urea Equipment
Damage Mechanism Reviews and Mitigation Methodology for Ammonia Equipment
Reducing the Risk of HTHA Failures
Hydrogen Damage Mechanisms Affecting Assets in the Ammonia & Fertilizer Industry
Managing Cold Temperature and Brittle Fracture Hazards in Pressure Vessels
Metallurgical Damage Mechanisms Affecting Equipment in the Ammonia Industry
A Guide for Mitigating Damage Mechanisms
Achieving Equipment Reliability through Understanding Precursor Failures
Related Resources
Test programs, such as those discussed above, have provided significant validation of the current methodologies used to analyze hydrogen hazards. Despite the enormous amount of work done by BakerRisk, the ERC, and others to understand the hazards associated with hydrogen, there is still more work to be done.
The biggest industrial explosions in history are valuable learning tools. Here are some of BakerRisk’s takeaways from historic industrial disasters.
Explosion related research is crucial to protect life and assets. Learn how the Explosion Research Cooperative (ERC) has filled this research gap for the last thirty years.
Like so many teams during the pandemic, the Explosion Research Cooperative (ERC) held its first virtual meetings.
For 25 years, our shock tube testing has enabled us to understand how structures respond to blast loads and, more importantly, how to mitigate vulnerability to exposed personnel.
BakerRisk has performed vented deflagration testing of congested enclosures over a range of configurations, congestion levels and fuels. This paper provides a comparison of the measured flame jetting distances to predictions made using standard methods commonly used to calculate the associated hazard zone. These methods include the National Fire Protection Association Standard on Explosion Protection by Deflagration Venting (NFPA 68), the British Standard’s Gas Explosion Venting Protective Systems (EN 14994) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis.
From inception, BakerRisk has leveraged research and development with support from our consulting operations to provide our clients high value services, cutting edge products, and extensive research.
Although jet fires may pose a major hazard in the chemical processing industry, they are typically modeled with semi-empirical models that were developed based on experimental results of natural gas. In most semi-empirical models, it is typically assumed that all liquid is instantly vaporized upon discharge and combusted fully in the jet. In reality, depending on discharge fuel momentum, elevation, temperature, and liquid fuel properties, a significant percentage of liquid fuel may fall to the ground and burn as a pool rather than contribute to the jet fire. As a result, such a model may predict overly conservative results when used to model liquid spray jet fires.
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