An overview on BLEVE

Purpose – This paper aims to provide graduate students, researchers and government and independent agencies with an overview on BLEVE (i.e. boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion).Design/methodology/approach – BLEVE has been studied by researchers, academicians, company specialists, and government and independent agencies. BLEVE incidents are collected from several sources such as technical and general articles, internet web sites and internal reports. BLEVE definitions, history, theory, types, hazards, and models are reviewed. BLEVE incidents are arranged and classified into fires, overfilling, explosions, overheating, runaways, overpressure, collisions, corrosion, and damage (derailment).Findings – BLEVE types are classified into cold BLEVEs, hot BLEVEs, and BLEVEs. The major consequences of a BLEVE are thermal radiation from the resultant fireball and the fragments produced when the vessel fails. Several approaches are developed to describe BLEVE theory. BLEVE incidents are classified into explosion...