Heat Radiation Effects

Escalation triggered by fires resulting in domino scenarios was the cause of severe accidents in the process industry. As a matter of fact, the catastrophic failure of process equipment, both pressurized and atmospheric, may be induced by the heat-up due to the exposure to accidental fires, leading to the loss of containment of hazardous materials. In this chapter, the behavior of equipment exposed to accidental fire will be investigated in order to identify the fundamental mechanisms underlying the failure of vessels exposed to fire. In particular, both simplified tools and detailed models for the assessment of the performance of vessels involved in fires will be discussed. The final aim is to provide methods for the quantitative assessment of domino hazards caused by accidental fires, and for the application of both passive and active strategies for the control and reduction of the risk associated with incident escalation triggered by fire.