Abstract
This paper covers several practical engineering aspects of gaseous detonations in pressure vessels: (1) Description of the phenomena and physics of deflagration, detonation, deflagration-to-detonation transition, and reflections in pressure vessels; (2) Development of pressures and loads caused by the detonation process in pressure vessels; (3) Analytical evaluation techniques and assessment criteria in the context of the ASME B&PV Code Section VIII. There are many factors that govern the type and severity of gaseous detonations in pressure vessels including gas composition, initial pressure, and ignition location within the pressure vessel. This paper addresses several of these factors, how they affect the resulting pressure transients in the vessels, and how the pressure transient loads can be applied to the Abaqus structural model. The method of load application is easily adapted to other FEA software packages. The structural integrity of the vessel is evaluated using the Abaqus Johnson-Cook plasticity model and associated strain limit damage criterion. The paper is specifically focused on pressure vessels where gaseous detonations have unique characteristics compared with more constrained space such as piping systems. A companion paper (PVP2022-84291) addresses the unique characteristics of gaseous detonations in piping systems and pipelines.
