Large Boilover experiments

in Japan

Hiroshi Koseki
National Research Institute
of Fire and Disaster, Japan

Tomakomai, Japan
 Abstracts
• In order to know boilover phenomenon in large tanks,
large scale boilover experiments in a 5 m diameter
pan using crude oil were conducted. Initial fuel
thickness was 0.7m.
• To know repeatability we tested twice in the same
conditions.

• About 80 minutes after ignition, large boilover was

occurred. Radiation from fire increased about twenty
times as much as that of steady burnings.
• Times to boilover were within our expecting which we
obtained with smaller pans and other reports.
 Background
Past boilover accidents in Japan
We had twice boilover accidents in Japan
(1) Ｈｅａｖｙ ｏｉｌ C, Ｙｏｋｋａｉｃｈｉ，Ｏｃｔｏｂｅｒ １５,
1954
(2) Crude oil, Ｎｉｇａｔａ，
June 1６, 1964

Ｎｉｇａｔａ, June 1964

 Earthquake damages in Oil facilities
• In Japan we have many earthquakes in Japan
• Sometimes, oil tanks were damaged, and
some were caught fires
• Two Tomakomai fires in 2003 were reported
by Mr. Hirai
• Nigata earthquake damaged tanks and
continued more than two weeks in 1964, and
made boilover in crude oil tanks
 Recent Fire Tests in Japan
• Joint work among NRIFD, U. Tokyo and Oil
company 20m pan fire test
• Large crude oil fire tests in 20 m pan(1997)
• Boilover tests(1999)

Tests were conducted in

Tomakomai, Hokkaido, Japan

20m pan fire test

 Kinds of boilover
• Boilover: Fuel layer thickness is 0.55 m
Clear hot zone (isothermal zone) is made
Our target: 1) normal boilover
2) Effects of water existence
Water emulsion crude oil was burnt
• Slopover
• Frothover
• Thin-layer boilover: Fuel layer is very thin
 Mechanism of boilover
High temperature zone was made after long
burn, and then increase its width,
Details were shown in many text books
Boilover test #1
Boilover test #2
 1m pan boilover tests were done
in NRIFD large test facilities using several oils
Crude oil, Heavy oil made boilover
１ｍ pan test using Arabian crude oil
Hot zone was made in NRIFD
Temperature inside the liquid, using kerosene
No hot zone was made
Fuel property
Test pan
 Temperature measurement
Thermocouples were bedded along with pan pole
 Crude oil
• Crude oil we used, is equivalent to Arabian
light crude oil supplied by Idemitsu Oil Co.,
which is most popular crude oil.

• That is, we bought from Idemitsu Hokkaido

Refinary, in which large oil tank fires occurred
in 2003.
 Distillation curve
equivalent to Arabian light crude oil
Summary of test results
Results-Radiation
Results-temperature along with pan
pole (axis)
Results-Fuel and water temperature
Hot zone was made and its temperature increase
Hot zone regression rate, thickness,
temperature vs time
 Conclusion
Time to boilover
Time to boilover can be estimated with fuel thickness
because hot zone regression rate is known from many our
data and real accidents.
According to API data, Time (hour)
we obtain these lines,
50

and our data were within

these lines.
10

時間 (hr)
5

1 5 10
燃焼層厚さ (m)

Fuel thickness (m)

 Conclusion
• About 70 minutes after ignition, we had boilover, and
external radiation increased about 22 times as much
as steady burning.
• We measured temperature inside the fuel, and found
that there might be three steps
1) no isothermal zone was observed
2) Isothermal zone was made, but not high
temperature
3) Then, temperature of isothermal zone increased,
and reached water layer
 Conclusion
• Our data support results of our small test and
other group did
• Data is open, anybody can use our data,
because large boilover test is difficult to do so
often
• Publication: Fire safety Journal vol.41, 2006
• Other information is available
Contact me, koseki@fri.go.jp