2. What is the physical mechanism behind a BLEVE?

A BLEVE results from the extremely rapid vaporization of the liquid phase contained in a tank as a result of depressurization following the loss of integrity of its shell.

The physics of the BLEVE phenomenon is well described in the literature (for example, in the INERIS OMEGA 5 report entitled: LE BLEVE, Phénoménologie et modélisation des effets thermiques). Without going into detail, it should be noted that a BLEVE can only occur if the liquefied gas is, at the moment of depressurization, at a temperature above the superheat limit temperature (SELT) at atmospheric pressure. The SST corresponds to the temperature at a given pressure above which vapor bubbles develop throughout the liquid, even in the absence of nucleation sites.

Examples of TLS: TLS equal to 53°C for propane and 105°C for butane.

In practice, a...