Fireball distribution characteristics and thermal radiation effects in the explosion of aviation kerosene storage tank

Aviation kerosene acts as the main fuel for civil and military aircrafts. In order to study the explosion fireball distribution and thermal radiation effects of aviation kerosene storage tank, the dynamic explosion test system was established. The development law of explosion fireball and the thermal radiation characteristics in the presence of various oil volumes (empty, bottom, half and full oil) under the dynamic impact of projectile were studied. The dynamic explosion process was divided into four stages: projectile explosion, aviation kerosene jet flow, aviation kerosene deflagration and pool fire. The evaluation model (Y=aX^b) for maximum diameter, maximum height, duration of fireball and oil mass was established. The fireball temperature showed a trend of ‘rise-fall-rise-oscillation attenuation’. The maximum fireball temperature and average temperature increased first and then decreased as increasing the oil volumes, with the maximum values at 1534.67 K and 1285.78 K, respectively. Based on the fireball dynamic model, the damage effect of fireball thermal radiation on personnel was analyzed, the safety radius and injury probability were obtained, and the dynamic explosion fireball thermal radiation field was constructed.