This CCPS Concept book shows designers and operators of chemical facilities how to realistically estimate the flammable mass in a cloud of accidentally released material that is capable of igniting. It provides information on industry experience with flammable vapor clouds, basic concepts of fires and explosions, and an overview of related computer programs.

Over the last three decades the process industries have grown very rapidly, with corresponding increases in the quantities of hazardous materials in process, storage or transport. Plants have become larger and are often situated in or close to densely populated areas. Increased hazard of loss of life or property is continually highlighted with incidents such as Flixborough, Bhopal, Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, the Phillips 66 incident, and Piper Alpha to name but a few. The field of Loss Prevention is, and continues to, be of supreme importance to countless companies, municipalities and governments around the world, because of the trend for processing plants to become larger and often be situated in or close to densely populated areas, thus increasing the hazard of loss of life or property. This book is a detailed guidebook to defending against these, and many other, hazards. It could without exaggeration be referred to as the "bible" for the process industries. This is THE standard reference work for chemical and process engineering safety professionals. For years, it has been the most complete collection of information on the theory, practice, design elements, equipment, regulations and laws covering the field of process safety. An entire library of alternative books (and cross-referencing systems) would be needed to replace or improve upon it, but everything of importance to safety professionals, engineers and managers can be found in this all-encompassing reference instead. Frank Lees' world renowned work has been fully revised and expanded by a team of leading chemical and process engineers working under the guidance of one of the world's chief experts in this field. Sam Mannan is professor of chemical engineering at Texas A&M University, and heads the Mary Kay O'Connor Process Safety Center at Texas A&M. He received his MS and Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Oklahoma, and joined the chemical engineering department at Texas A&M University as a professor in 1997. He has over 20 years of experience as an engineer, working both in industry and academia. New detail is added to chapters on fire safety, engineering, explosion hazards, analysis and suppression, and new appendices feature more recent disasters. The many thousands of references have been updated along with standards and codes of practice issued by authorities in the US, UK/Europe and internationally. In addition to all this, more regulatory relevance and case studies have been included in this edition. Written in a clear and concise style, Loss Prevention in the Process Industries covers traditional areas of personal safety as well as the more technological aspects and thus provides balanced and in-depth coverage of the whole field of safety and loss prevention. * A must-have standard reference for chemical and process engineering safety professionals * The most complete collection of information on the theory, practice, design elements, equipment and laws that pertain to process safety * Only single work to provide everything; principles, practice, codes, standards, data and references needed by those practicing in the field

There are many different types of explosions, each with its own complex mechanism. Understanding explosions is important in preventing them. This reference provides valuable information on explosions for everyone involved in the operation, design, maintenance, and management of chemical processes, helping enhance understanding of the nature of explosions and the practical methods required to prevent them from occurring. The text includes: Fundamental basis for explosions Explosive and flammable behavior and characteristics of materials Different types of explosions Fire and explosion hazard recognition Practical methods for preventing explosions or minimizing the potential consequences Additional references Understanding Explosions provides a practical understanding of explosion fundamentals, including the different types of explosions, the explosive and flammable behavior of materials, and the hazards related to fires and explosions. It also discusses practical methods to prevent and minimize the probability and consequence of an explosion during routine use of flammable, combustible and/or reactive materials.

This guide provides an overview of methods for estimating the characteristics of vapor cloud explosions, flash fires, and boiling-liquid-expanding-vapor explosions (BLEVEs) for practicing engineers. It has been updated to include advanced modeling technology, especially with respect to vapor cloud modeling and the use of computational fluid dynamics. The text also reviews past experimental and theoretical research and methods to estimate consequences. Heavily illustrated with photos, charts, tables, and diagrams, this manual is an essential tool for safety, insurance, regulatory, and engineering students and professionals.

Complemented by an estimating tool spreadsheet based on a fixed set of chemicals to assist in risk estimations, Probability of Ignition of a Released Flammable Mass converts a "best guess" to a calculated value based on available information and current technology. The text documents and explains the science and background of the technology-based approach. The tool, when populated with appropriate data, yields an estimate of the probability that a defined release of a flammable material will ignite if exposed to an ignition source. This information can be used to make risk assessments with a higher degree of confidence than estimates made before and it provides valuable information for use in the development of a facility's Emergency Response Plan.

The serious consequences of vapor cloud explosions, flash fires, and BLEVEs are very well known. Better understanding of the characteristics of these phenomena and models to calculate their consequences are key to effective prevention and mitigation. Cited by EPA in its 1996 document, "Off-site Consequence Analysis Guidance, " the first half of the book describes the characteristics of these phenomena and gives an overview of past experimental and theoretical research and methods to estimate consequences. The second part focuses on methods for consequence estimating by presenting sample problems. The entire book is heavily illustrated with photos, charts, tables, and diagrams, and each chapter has a full set of references for additional reading.

A key component of risk reduction is reducing the potential consequences that could result from toxic or flammable releases. The science of vapor cloud dispersion has advanced significantly in recent years, but one of the long-standing challenges has been in accounting for dispersion around buildings, equipment, and similarly sized geologic and man-made features. With current concerns about terrorism in industrial and urban sites, improving consequence modeling within industrial and urban sites is more important than ever This new definitive book advances the science of vapor cloud dispersion by: ·Describing how structures at an urban or industrial site affect dispersion, and how these effects should be treated in consequence models ·Explaining surface roughness length (z0) and displacement length (d) so that they are clarified for readers with minimal meteorological background ·Presenting criteria for when the structures should be considered broadly as roughness elements, or when they should be considered from the viewpoint of their wake effects ·Defining conditions for which different models apply and providing continuous solutions for transitions between flow regimes. ·Providing the appropriate roughness inputs to transport and dispersion models depending on conditions. ·Demonstrating the application of these techniques through worked examples.