Blast Resistant Design in Cold Regions

An increasing interest of oil and gas production industries into the Arctic region has encouraged the research on cold resistant materials and structures. Since these oil and gas facilities handle hydrocarbons and other inflammable fuels, there have been incidences and always been a high potential risk of accidental explosions. In the past few decades considerable emphasis has been given to the safety concerns related to blast and achieving a ‘Blast Resistant Design’. This paper provides an overview of the blast analysis techniques being currently employed in the industry to assess the dynamic response of structures subjected blast loading. In addition, a comprehensive overview is presented for the low temperature effects on the engineering properties of materials that are in use or that can be potentially used for the Arctic industrial structures. Currently, there are no specific industry standards or guidelines addressing blast resistant design of structures under low temperature conditions. Owing to this fact, this paper introduces various recommendations for blast assessments of both the existing and proposed structures in the Arctic or low service temperatures.