Explosive decompression
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Explosive decompression (ED) refers to a sudden marked drop in the pressure of a system that occurs in less than 0.1 seconds, associated with explosive violence. Generally it results from some sort of material fatigue or engineering failure, causing a contained system to suddenly vent into the external atmosphere.
Seals in high pressure vessels are also susceptible to explosive decompression; the rubber gaskets used to seal pressurised pipelines tend to become saturated with high-pressure gases. If the pressure inside the vessel is suddenly released, then the gases within the rubber gasket may expand violently, causing blistering or explosion of the material. For this reason, it is common for military and industrial equipment to be subjected to an explosive decompression test before it is certified as safe for use.
The pressure drop in other situations often takes longer than 0.1 second, and is then more accurately described as rapid decompression.
Misunderstandings of the meaning of the words are quite likely to be a fueling factor for a persistent myth that humans would explode if exposed to the non-pressure of space. It is surmised that while vacuum exposure would cause swelling, skin is tough enough to handle a drop of one atm. A sudden drop of eight atm, on the other hand, has been known to have rather grislier results.
Well known examples of explosive decompression are the Byford Dolphin diving bell accident and the Turkish Airlines Flight 981 disaster.
See also
References
National and international standards for explosive decompression testing include:- MIL-STD-810, 202
- RTCA/D0-160
- NORSOK M710
- API 17K and 17J
- NACE TM0192 and TM0297
- TOTALELFFINA SP TCS 142 Appendix H
External links
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