Numerical model for boiling liquid vapor explosion (BLEVE)

The depressurization of a vessel containing saturated or subcooled liquid may occur in a variety of industrial processes and often poses a potentially hazardous situation. A numerical model was developed for estimating the thermodynamic and the dynamic state of the boiling liquid during a boiling liquid vapor explosion (BLEVE) event. The model allows calculation of bubble nucleation and growth processes in the liquid at the superheat-limit state, the front velocity of the expending liquid and the shock wave pressure formed by the liquid expansion through the air. Conditions of shock formation were found to be normally associated with high initial temperatures that can bring the liquid to its superheat-limit state during the initial depressurization. Furthermore, the high initial temperature also induces a generation of higher vapor pressures that forces a rapid mixture expansion.