UKELG

UKELG is a subject interest group which aims to stimulate the informal exchange of information on all aspects of explosions, including the analysis and prevention of accidental explosions.

UKELG is a registered charity, number 1080033. Click here to see the current trustees' report.

How does it function?

Each year, on average, two UKELG meetings are organised by the committee. The topics discussed cover all aspects of explosion and related loss prevention. Usually there is a 'state of the art' talk, which introduces the topic under discussion, followed by further shorter talks presented by workers active in that area.

The UKELG committee are looking to the future. A short questionnaire has been sent to known participants and is also available here. Any further contributions would be appreciated. Alternatively if you have any suggestions for future meetings, please email the UKELG secretary from here.

Are the proceedings published?

UKELG aims to provide a forum for the discussion of the current status and developments within the chosen topic areas. To achieve this it actively encourages the presentation of recent research results, especially work in progress and ideas in the making, coupled with a full and frank discussion of the topics covered.

So as not to inhibit informal discussions and contributions, the proceedings are not published. At the request of the authors or with their agreement, some presentations are placed on this website, and these appear as links from the programmes of previous meetings accessible from the link below.

Who can attend?

Any interested person is free to attend meetings, on payment of an appropriate fee to cover running costs. There is no annual membership fee.

How is it organised?

The activities of UKELG are co-ordinated by a small committee drawn from industry, consultancy firms and universities. Meetings are held at scientific and research establishments all over the UK.

Click here to see a tribute to Professor D Huw Edwards, a co-founder of UKELG who died in 2003.

NEW When is the next meeting? NEW

The next meeting will be entitled Explosion hazards from volatile and cryogenic spills, to include speakers from the previously planned cryogenic spills meeting, and to provide diversity with a related topic. Volatiles will form the morning part, with cryogenics in the afternoon.

A number of recent devastating vapour explosions have illustrated the need to understand how vapour is formed when there is a leak of a volatile combustible liquid like gasoline. The meeting will cover experimental and modelling studies of vaporisation in liquid sprays, cascades and pools as well as practical methods of risk assessment.

Cryogenic gases are particularly hazardous and LNG transportation is on the increase worldwide. Topics for the meeting could include liquid hydrogen, LNG, liquid nitrogen for modelling purposes and associated condensation of liquid oxygen, source terms and dispersion studies, and electrostatic and other ignition hazards.

The meeting will be held at HSL Buxton on 3rd April 2012. Further details are available here in word or pdf format.

Also we can announce that the Autumn meeting will be entitled Use and validity of dispersion and explosion models. Further details will be placed here in 2012.

Previous Meetings.

A list of the previous UKELG meetings is available here. In many cases, presentations that were made at each meeting are also available via links from the meeting programmes.

Other sites of interest

The Combustion Institute is an educational non-profit, international, scientific society whose purpose is to promote and disseminate research in combustion science. There are 29 Sections of the Combustion Institute. The main activity of the Combustion Institute is the International Symposium on Combustion. The symposia attract members of the Combustion Institute as well as others interested in combustion from around the world. The synergism produced at these symposia makes them the principal forum for presenting and integrating combustion research results.

FABIG - The Fire and Blast Information Group is a non-profit, cross-industry membership based organisation committed to the dissemination of knowledge and best practice and the development of guidance on the prevention and mitigation of fires and explosions and on the protection of facilities and personnel against fires and explosions. The group has currently over 60 members which include oil and gas companies, legislators, certifying authorities, design contractors, specialist consultants, equipment manufacturers and research centres. FABIG holds quarterly Technical Meetings in London and Aberdeen where invited specialists give presentations on topics of interest to the members. In addition, FABIG publishes a quarterly technical Newsletter and uses the latest available research results to produce an annual Technical Note for its members. The next meeting entitled "Re-assessment and Upgrade of Existing Facilities" will be held on 30th November 2011 at the University of Aberdeen and on 1st December in London, with live webcast. See here further details.

The Explosion Research Cooperative (formerly known as the Technology Cooperative), is a joint industry research program organized by Baker Engineering and Risk Consultants, Inc. (BakerRisk) in 1993. The Cooperative program is funded by chemical, petrochemical and refining companies interested in understanding and predicting explosion hazards and their consequences on buildings, process equipment and people, as well as preventing or mitigating explosions, analyzing siting of occupied buildings, designing protective structures, and upgrading existing buildings. The goal of this ongoing program is to undertake studies aimed at solving problems common throughout these industries with the results, benefits, and costs being shared by all participating companies. The projects, scope of work, and proposed budgets for the studies are defined by vote of all participating companies at Cooperative meetings.

The Combustion Physics Group of the Institute of Physics provides a forum for the discussion of the physical aspects of flames, ignition, detonation and related topics. It is concerned with these issues both at a fundamental level and in the context of the practical use of wanted combustion processes in engines, boilers and other systems and unwanted combustion in the form of fires and explosions. Emphasis on the physical aspects of combustion is continuing to increase rapidly. The Group was formed in 1973 and current membership comprises a good mix of industrialists and academics.

What is UKELG?