Originally Posted by
Video Mixdown
One for any firefighters here. Would such an explosion be considered a BLEVE, or is that term reserved for pressurised fuel like LPG? During a GDT lecture many years ago we were shown film of a derailed railway tanker truck suffering this fate. I think the remains of the truck were found several hundred yards away!
No. For a BLEVE to arise, the liquid has to be contained within a sealed tank so that it can be heated above its atmospheric pressure boiling point. As pressure (and temperature) rises, the tank eventually fails, and the liquid rapidly boils when pressure is suddenly released, causing a BLEVE. Bunker tanks on ships are fitted with vents, so can't pressurise, so no BLEVE.