Results of complex researches of fire and explosion safety of railway tanks for transportation of liquefied petroleum gases

This study is dedicated to a description of results of complex investigations on fire and explosion safety of railway tanks for a transportation of liquefied petroleum gases (LPG) carried out by Moscow state railway university together with organizations of various branches of industry. The main types of accidents were determined on a basis of statistical data. There were carried out experimental and theoretical investigations of a railway tanks behavior at various accidental regimes connected with various dynamical and thermal actions on these tanks. Numerous experiments were carried out on large scale facilities and on small scale facilities with an application of the theory of similarity. Experimental results were used both for a verification of the theoretical models and for more accurate definition of parameters of numerical schemes. Mathematical models created at the theoretical investigations were used for a software and a following determination of tools for the railway tanks protection. Measures for a risk reduction and a diminishing of consequences were proposed on the basis of the investigations. Safety relief valves, fire retardant coatings and special controle valves were used for a thermal protection. It was shown that the SGK fire retardant coating can increase a critical time of an action of the fire on the raiway tank on 2.5-3.5 times. A new configuration of loading pipelines was proposed which allowed to decrease substantially a probability of a rupture of the loading facilities. A new configuration of safety arcs was proposed which decreases remarkably a probability of a destruction of the loading valves at accidents with an overturning of the tank. New safety types of the railways for the LPG transportation were created which are now built in Russia, Ukraine, Japan, Poland.