In order to study the explosion suppression characteristics of LPG/air mixture by CO₂ synergistic inert powder, explosion suppression experiments were conducted in a 20 L explosion device. The results show that the explosion suppression effect of NaHCO₃ powder is prior to Al(OH)₃ powder under the condition of no CO₂ synergy. As the mass concentration of inert powder increases, the peak value of explosion pressure P_ex and the peak value of the pressure rise rate (dP/dt)_ex decrease, and the explosion suppression effect gradually enhances. Gas–solid two-phase inhibitors exhibit more significant inhibitory effects than single-phase inhibitors. Increasing the volume fraction of CO₂ or the mass concentration of inert powder can improve the explosion suppression effect. The explosion suppression effect of CO₂/NaHCO₃ is significantly better than that of CO₂/Al(OH)₃. The research results have certain significance for the prevention and control of LPG explosion accidents.

In a tank farm, even if the separation distance meets the codes and standards, a pool fire in one tank may spread quickly to another tank. Most destructive and uncontrollable fire accidents are induced with multiple pool fires. In current work, the thermal buckling behaviors of a fixed-roof tank subjected to one (two) neighboring pool fire(s) (burning tanks) are numerically studied. The effects of the number of the pool fires, the separation distance between two pool fires, and the distance between the adjacent tank and pool fires are analyzed. The results indicate that the thermal buckling zone of the target tank subjected to two pool fires is larger than that subjected to one pool fire, and the maximum displacement for two pool fires is almost equal to that for one pool fire. The target tank subjected to one pool fire loses stability and reaches a new stable state faster than that subjected to two pool fires. The thermal buckling zone expands as the distance between the two pool fires increases but decreases with increasing separation distance between the pool fire and the target tank. The findings provide useful guidance for the structural optimization of steel storage tanks against pool fire exposure and offer theoretical support for emergency response and fire rescue in tank farms.