ug_20090206_vandenschoor

Fundamental design approaches for Fundamental design approaches for improvement of the fire safety in car parksimprovement of the fire safety in car parks

Research activities planned Research activities planned by the Industrial Safety by the Industrial Safety

research group of research group of K.U.LeuvenK.U.Leuven

Dr. Filip Van den Schoor

Laboratorium Industriële VeiligheidDepartement Werktuigkunde, K.U.Leuven

OverviewOverview

Industrial Safety research group

Objectives

Planned research activities


Industrial Safety research groupIndustrial Safety research group

Past and current main research activities:

• Flammability limits

• Auto-ignition limits

• Consequence modelling



Laboratory for Industrial Safety (LIV)



Spin-offs that originated from the Industrial Safety research group:

• Adinex: expert advice on explosion safety (prevention, protection and mitigation, incident analysis,...)

• Protec Engineering (now part of M-tech): safety reports (risk analysis, consequence modelling)



Mechanical Engineering Department

Division of Applied Mechanics and Energy Conversion

Applied Combustion

Energy & Environment

Engine Technology

Industrial Safety

Thermal and Fluids Engineering



Relevant research activities by other research groups:

• Turbulence modelling

• Combustion modelling

• Particle image velocimetry


ObjectivesObjectives

The study focuses on the following aspects in car parks:

• smoke control in case of fire;

• explosion risk;

• structural aspects (structural integrity and reliability assessment).


ObjectivesObjectives

With respect to the explosion risk, the objectives are:

• to carry out an approximate quantitative risk analysis (QRA) of the explosion risk in closed and semi-closed car parks due to the presence of vehicles fuelled with LPG and hydrogen;

• to gather experimental and simulation data for the derivation of simplified calculation methods for the design of gas detection and ventilation systems, for closed and semi-closed car parks.


Planned research activitiesPlanned research activities

Gas dispersion experiments and modelling (WP 3)

Hot surface ignition experiments (WP 3)

Quantification of explosion effects (WP 3)

Reliable design calculation methods (WP 5)

Quantitative risk analysis (WP 7)

Dissemination (WP 8)



Gas dispersion experiments and modelling:


full-scale CFD simulations

full-scale field experiments

reduced-scale CFD simulations

reduced-scale wind tunnel experiments


Hot surface ignition experiments:

objective: to experimentally study the ignition of stagnant and flowing flammable mixtures by hot surfaces in order to determine the probability that an accidental fuel release will lead to a vapour cloud explosion

possible “hot spots”: engines, exhausts, brakes,...



Quantification of explosion effects:

explosion scenarios:

• rupture of a fuel tank filled with a liquefied fuel

BLEVE (boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion)

• delayed ignition of a leak of a fuel tank

VCE (vapour cloud explosion)

explosion effects: blast pressure, thermal radiation and fragments

based upon exisiting analytical calculation methods



Reliable design calculation methods:

ventilation system: smoke control and flammable gas dispersion

gas detection system: e.g. spacing of gas detectors

guidelines for explosion risk reduction



Quantitative risk analysis:

defining potential accident scenarios (fire, BLEVE,...)

estimating consequences

estimating probabilities

estimating and evaluating risk

identifying risk reduction measures


Fundamental design approaches for Fundamental design approaches for improvement of the fire safety in car parksimprovement of the fire safety in car parks

Research activities planned Research activities planned by the Industrial Safety by the Industrial Safety

research group of research group of K.U.LeuvenK.U.Leuven

Dr. Filip Van den Schoor


ug_20090206_vandenschoor

Design

modelling wp

dissemination wp

quantitative risk analysis

explosion safety prevention

explosion scenarios

safety reportsrisk analysis

incident analysis

design of gas detection