In the framework of the research activities for industrial safety, the "Istituto di Ricerche sulla Combustione" identifies risks assessment concerning accident in industrial plants. Furthermore, it studies the related chemical-physical phenomena with a specific focus to thermal explosions of gaseous mixtures.
These issues are important from both a scientific and practical point of view. In fact, by understanding the mechanisms leading to explosions and the analysis of the related risks is possible to get considerable advancement in the scientific knowledge and to draw a risks map and the formulation of project criteria.
Currently, it is unknown the role and weight of each phenomenon involved in thermal explosion. Moreover, no universal guide-lines are available to foresee accident and to identify safety conditions in explosions in confined or semi-confined environments within industrial plants.
The research activity of the Istituto di Ricerche sulla Combustione has been mainly based on the simulations of the above mentioned phenomena in confined or semi-confined environment and on the risk assessment.
Recently, the development of complex computational codes and mainly of computation power have led to get adequate tools for the simulations of the interaction between turbulence and combustion. As a consequence of this, explosions can be properly simulated.
More precisely, the research activity is focused on the development of computational fluid-dynamic codes to study deflagration in both large scale industrial plants and for single equipment. Differently from the standard models adopted in the literature, these codes use chemical and fluid-dynamic models adequate to simulate the entire explosion process even in large-scale environment. Validation of the numerical results (fig.1) allows the development of a mathematical tool able to foresee the evolution of an explosion.
The above described activities are achieved in collaboration with national and international research institutes. In particular, contacts are established with the McGill University of Montreal and in particular with Prof. J.H.S.Lee, with the University of Ulster (UK) and in particular with prof. Molkov e with the Università di Napoli, "Federico II".
Safety is a relevant issue for both private and public institutions.
Financial founds can be then obtained from private companies to study new equipment and from institutional organisms like " l'Agenzia per la Protezione Civile" and European Union.
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