Vapour Cloud Explosion (VCE) is an explosion resulting from the ignition of cloud of flammable vapor, gas, or mist in which a flame speed accelerates to sufficiently high velocities to produce significant overpressure. These explosions occur by a sequence of steps: 1) Sudden release of a large quantity of flammable vapor; 2) Dispersion of the vapor throughout the plant site while mixing with air; 3) Ignition of the resulting vapor cloud.

Related Definitions in the Project: The HSE Management; Process Safety Engineering