The boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion (BLEVE): Mechanism, consequence assessment, management

Among the most devastating of accidents likely in chemical process industry is the boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion (BLEVE). It is accompanied by highly destructive blast waves and missiles. In most situations there is also a fireball or a toxic gas cloud. The damaging effect of BLEVEs is reflected in the fact that the 80-odd major BLEVEs that have occurred between 1940 and 2005 have claimed over a 1000 lives and have injured over 10,000 persons besides harming property worth billions of dollars. Release of toxic chemicals like chlorine and phosgene from BLEVEs have damaged large chunks of areas surrounding the BLEVE site. This paper presents an overview of the mechanism, the causes, the consequences, and the preventive strategies associated with BLEVEs. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.