Novel equipment for the study of pressure vessel response to fire

Pressurisation of full-containment pressure vessels in fire is known to be driven by thermal stratification. The predominant mode of heat transfer to the contents (convection from the shell to the liquid phase) results in formation of „hot“ boundary layers. Sub-cooled boiling may also be present. The warm layer rises to the surface through buoyancy and bubble flow, increasing the surface of the liquid above that of the bulk temperature, and hence driving a pressure rise. For reliable prediction of the complex effects governing vessel pressurization a three-dimensional numerical model is required. Work is being undertaken on such a model by other institutions in cooperation with this project.