TY  - JOUR
T1  - Determining the Gas Concentration and Overpressure Magnitude of an
Ammonia Refrigerant Explosion
AU - Kim, Jihoon 
JO  - Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences
VL  - 14
IS  - 20
SP  - 7545
EP  - 7556
PY  - 2019
DA  - 2001/08/19
SN  - 1816-949x
DO  - jeasci.2019.7545.7556
UR  - https://makhillpublications.co/view-article.php?doi=jeasci.2019.7545.7556
KW  - Ammonia gas
KW  -refrigerant
KW  -gas concentration
KW  -explosion limit
KW  -determine
KW  -PHAST Software
AB  - Ammonia gas is toxic and flammable and exposure to ammonia can cause eye irritation, headaches,
and dyspnea in humans. There is a common misconception that the pungency of ammonia makes it easy to
identify even the smallest leak and that its relatively high flammability limit allows for simple, quick safety
measures to avoid fire or explosion. However, on February, 13, 2014, ammonia gas used as a refrigerant
in a high-pressure gas refrigeration facility in Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi-do exploded. This accident resulted in
significant academic and industrial interest in the hazards of ammonia gas explosions. Although, ammonia gas
leaks do not typically reach the explosion limit concentration because it is lighter than air and thus easily
dispersed, if the gas leaks into a confined or poorly ventilated space, the explosion limit can be easily attained
and the presence of an ignition source can then result in an explosion. To determine the nature of the explosion
hazard presented by ammonia gas, this study evaluated the behavior and explosion potential of an ammonia
gas leak accounting for the leakage and dispersion conditions of the February, 2014 explosion. To determine
the likely concentrations of gas, the overpressure blast waves resulting from the upper and lower limits of the
explosion range were determined by PHAST Software simulation and compared to observed damage from the
February, 2014 explosion. The overpressure resulting from the explosion of gas at the upper explosion limit,
achieved as the concentration of gas was reduced into the explosion range during an attempt to vent the leaked
ammonia gas was determined to have been capable of inflicting the observed damage, providing a general
understanding of the process that led to the explosion and informing several proposals to mitigate the risk of
ammonia explosions in the future.
ER  -