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Load simulation of arc fault induced explosion of oil-immersed transformer and anti-explosion balance design
Journal of Tsinghua University (Science and Technology) 2026, 66(7): 1329-1338
Published: 13 July 2026
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Objective

The arc fault of oil-immersed transformers may result in explosions and corresponding fire accidents, which severely affect the safe operation of the power system. However, arc fault tests cannot be conducted on a large scale due to their high cost, implementation difficulty, and low repeatability. As a result, numerical simulations have become an important research method. Various types of simulation methods are available, and the validity and applicability of their numerical results and underlying physical processes need to be examined.

Methods

Taking a 500 kV transformer as an example, this study used LS-DYNA to compare the effectiveness of the TNT equivalent method, instantaneous gas injection method, and uniform gas injection method in terms of spatial and temporal characteristics of arc fault explosion load of oil-immersed transformer. Thereafter, the response characteristics and failure modes of the structure, along with the influence of complex internal structures on the propagation of pressure, were explored.

Results

The research results indicated the following: (1) The simulations revealed that the uniform gas injection method could reproduce the process of gas production during arc faults and efficiently reflect the effect of arc fault duration, with the generated peak pressure and pressure gradient closely matching the experimental data. The instantaneous gas injection method and TNT equivalent method yielded higher loads and might overestimate the structural responses. However, they could be employed for examining weak points of transformer structures during explosions because of their simple implementation. The uniform gas injection method was suited for precise response analysis and ultimate pressure limit analysis of transformer structures, which required high accuracy.(2) The arc fault load presented a rapid attenuation characteristic in space and time, which enhanced its local effect on the structure. However, due to the spatial limitations of the transformer structure and the space occupation of internal components, the reflection and superposition of pressure waves prevented the pressure from monotonically attenuating in time and space after reaching its peak. The multi-peak characteristics of the internal explosion pressure waves intensified the impulse within the complex structure.(3) Under the considered conditions, plastic deformation of the structure occurred in the turret structure immediately adjacent to the failure location. Bending deformation arose in the tank wall near the failure area, and substantial stress concentration was observed at the corner of the tank. Under high-energy conditions, the possible failure locations were found in the local area near the arc failure and the stress concentration points at the corners. The overall bending deformation could absorb energy and expand the fluid volume within the structure, which allowed the structure to withstand explosion loads.(4) An anti-explosion balance design concept for transformers was proposed, in which different load models were used for preliminary design, balance design, and pressure-relief design. The three stages corresponded to the static pressure bearing condition, the typical fault condition, and the rare occurrence condition.

Conclusions

The uniform gas injection method effectively describes the gas generation process of the arc fault, and the load characteristics agree well with the test results. The arc fault load decays rapidly in time and space. Moreover, the complex pressure propagation path inside the transformer will considerably affect the local load. Based on the load and response characteristics, the stepwise balanced design concept adopting different levels of working conditions can improve the anti-explosion performance and realize economic benefits by simply strengthening the structure.

Open Access Issue
A physics-information and data fusion-driven method for rapid prediction of blast loads in complex urban environments
Explosion and Shock Waves 2026, 46(5)
Published: 05 May 2026
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Rapid and accurate assessment of blast loads in complex urban blocks is critical for efficient blast-resistant structural design and post-disaster damage evaluation. However, traditional methods, including empirical formulas, physical models, and numerical simulations, struggle to simultaneously achieve high computational efficiency and prediction accuracy. Furthermore, existing deep learning-based blast load prediction models are hard to be applied in complex urban block scenarios. To achieve rapid and accurate assessment of blast loads in complex urban street blocks, a physics-information and data fusion-driven method is proposed. The core idea of the method is a “spatial partitioning and progressive inference” strategy, which involves constructing distinct rapid prediction models for “the detonation street” and “non-detonation streets”. These models then collaborate synergistically via their shared boundary pressures to predict the spatiotemporal evolution of the pressure field across the entire urban block. The two network models incorporate the results from method of images, signed distance fields, and energy density factors to integrate key physical features of the flow field. For the architectures, the two models adopt a 3D-UNet and a cascaded network composed of a 2D-UNet and a 3D-UNet, respectively. The target outputs for both networks were generated using a validated numerical simulation method, which were then used to train the models. Evaluation of the model’s predictive performance demonstrates that the proposed method accurately predicts the spatiotemporal evolution of the pressure field. The relative error between the predicted flow field and numerical simulation results is within 20% in both detonation and non-detonation streets. Moreover, the method effectively captures the pressure-time histories at specified locations. The inference time of the proposed dual-network collaborative method is approximately 2% of the computation time of the corresponding numerical simulation, and the flow field storage cost for a single time step is less than 0.2% of a D3PLOT file, thereby significantly reducing computational and storage costs. The research provides a novel method for the rapid assessment of blast loads in large-scale, complex urban blocks, offering efficient decision-making support for the blast-resistant design and evaluation of urban buildings.

Open Access Issue
Influence of reaction equilibrium on thermodynamic model calculations of quasi-static pressure for confined TNT explosions
Explosion and Shock Waves 2026, 46(2)
Published: 05 February 2026
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The quasi-static pressure thermodynamic model for confined explosions provides an effective characterization of pressure evolution with mass-to-volume ratio m/V, and derivation of physical quantities such as gas adiabatic index from products and temperature. However, the thermodynamic model based on detonation and combustion equations that neglects reaction equilibrium demonstrates growing deviations from the quasi-static pressure curve in UFC 3-340-02 blast-resistant design standard after carbon precipitates in detonation products, and existing research inadequately addresses the necessity of incorporating reaction equilibrium for various physical quantities in TNT confined explosion thermodynamic models. In order to investigate the influence of reaction equilibrium on thermodynamic calculation results, the model neglecting reaction equilibrium was modified based on the energy conservation equation of isochoric processes and the solid carbon precipitation phenomenon. The modified model has a consistency with the UFC curve for m/V≥0.371 kg/m3. Then, a comparative analysis was conducted on the results of thermodynamic models considering and not considering the reaction equilibrium based on the unified solution framework. The results indicate that incorporating chemical equilibrium into quasi-static pressure calculation introduces a maximum relative deviation below 20%, and critical thresholds alters, i.e., the m/V for carbon precipitation shifts from 0.371 to 3.850 kg/m3, and peak temperature transitions from 0.371 to 0.680 kg/m3. Significant divergence in mole numbers of product composition emerges progressively when m/V exceeds 0.1 kg/m3. Therefore, the reaction equilibrium-based thermodynamic model is a more rational choice for calculating quantities related to components and temperature in TNT confined explosions with m/V>0.1 kg/m3. Finally, a simplified calculation method for products, temperature, and pressure during the quasi-static phase of TNT confined explosions considering reaction equilibrium is proposed based on symbolic regression algorithm. The research contributes to a theoretical understanding of equilibrium effects on thermodynamic model results and the practical implementation of rapid parameter estimation in TNT confined explosion scenarios.

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