Fuel tank explosion risk analysis
Fuel tank explosion risk analysis
(OP)
We have evaluated a 10 000 gal tank of Fuel Oil #2 in regards to it being placed adjacent to a building. The review was done out of concern of terrorism.
A scenario of a bomb being detonated near the double wall tank was the general concern.
Our review decided it was a severe fire hazard, but not an explosion risk.
One person in our team felt there was a risk of vapour cloud formation and a resulting explosion, and recommended the tank be moved 600ft from the building.
What are military guidelines for fuel oil tank location?
Ken
A scenario of a bomb being detonated near the double wall tank was the general concern.
Our review decided it was a severe fire hazard, but not an explosion risk.
One person in our team felt there was a risk of vapour cloud formation and a resulting explosion, and recommended the tank be moved 600ft from the building.
What are military guidelines for fuel oil tank location?
Ken





RE: Fuel tank explosion risk analysis
http://www.structuremag.org/archives/mar2003/Blast-full...
RE: Fuel tank explosion risk analysis
RE: Fuel tank explosion risk analysis
RE: Fuel tank explosion risk analysis
If you intend to protect against a terrorist attack, you'll need to prevent access to vehicles. Additionally, your tank walls will need to survive a large explosion.
TTFN
RE: Fuel tank explosion risk analysis
RE: Fuel tank explosion risk analysis
Many materials will explode, given the right set of conditions. Aluminum, an other benign material is highly flammable and explosive if properly sized and distributed. Something that is inherently flammable could still provide a decent explosion if adequately prepped and dispersed.
TTFN
RE: Fuel tank explosion risk analysis
Take a look at MIL-HDBK-1013/1A "Physical Security of Facilities", Section 8 "Bomb Blast Hardening". Seem like a good engineering Intro to this subject... but a little thin on POL facilities. appears to discuss factors involving car, Truck and human "carriers".
Note: the section mentions aanother couple of manuals...
"NAVY Terrorist Vehicle Bomb Survivability Manual"
"Army Security Engineering Manual"
Regards, Wil Taylor
RE: Fuel tank explosion risk analysis
RE: Fuel tank explosion risk analysis
Being a civilian installation, the call was made to limit access to the tanks via fencing and video equipment.
The tank is temporary as the facility will be expanding over the area it is installed. When it is moved, it will be placed well away from the building.
I started doing estimates of the energy required to vaporize the oil and it was quite a bit. If we started talking amounts of explosive to vaporize the whole contents of the tank the building is gone before the tank goes.
Re fertilizer, that has been known a long time. My grandfather was chemical engineer at the CIL fertilizer/explosives plant. Lots of people knew and from the way he talked bulk quantities of amonium nitrate were watched in those days too.
RE: Fuel tank explosion risk analysis
Called Explosion Suppression System, Light sensitive units in the tank would indicate when eg.tracer/AA/cannon entered the tank causing a potential fire / explosion. This would trigger the tower of explosive elements within the tank to 'snuf out' any fire and subsequent explosion.
When carrying out a tank change, a/c power is isolated - didn't want anyone to open the access panel and end up with a 'Tom & Jerry'esc black face from the resultant 'Bang'!!
pss They also designed a Air / Nitrogen fuel tank pressurization system (with multiple N2 bottles to try and provide an inert gas above the fuel surface - weighty though.
(A/C fuel systems are pressurised with air from the engine(s) to assist fuel feed and transfer and to lower the Reads Vapour Pressure (RVP).
RE: Fuel tank explosion risk analysis