Abstract
A new means for modeling blast effects of all types of reactants including vapor cloud explosions has been developed and verified against empirical data. Methods such as the TNTβequivalency model are still being widely used to simulate vapor cloud explosions and blast effects. However, many limitations exist in the accuracy of those models. Use of such flawed models could potentially provide for deleterious results from an explosion such as loss of property and/or life as well as the ramifications of liability. This should be of extreme interest to not only the chemical process industry, but also to insurerers who must understand the nature of the risk that is being under written, government safety compliance organizations and the legal profession which must either defend or litigate liability cases resulting from explosions.
The computer code, CMBWAT, models the physics of detonations and deflagrations occurring in the reaction zone and the resulting shock wave which attenuates with distance. It computes static and stagnation pressure, velocity and the shock wave impulse delivered to target surfaces within the flow field, all as a function of time, both for the incident and reflected waves. Data resulting from these analyses are used to examine the structural response of the object due to the resulting shock and to determine proper risk mitigation solutions to minimize damage effects. The model can also examine the physics of solid or vapor reactants including nuclear explosions.
Systems Integration Corporation has developed this code which was independently verified against actual test data by Sandia National Laboratory. The Nuclear Regulatory Agency is currently revising its REG GUIDE 131 as a result of this work.