A risk assessment methodology for high pressure CO2 pipelines using integral consequence modelling

This paper presents a risk assessment methodology for high pressure CO₂ pipelines developed at the Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) as part of the EU FP7 CO2Pipehaz project. Until recently, risk assessment of dense phase and supercritical CO₂ pipelines has been problematic because of the lack of suitable source term and integral consequence models that handle the complex behaviour of CO₂ appropriately. The risk assessment presented uses Phast, a commercially available source term and dispersion model that has been recently updated to handle the effects of solid CO₂. A test case pipeline was input to Phast and dispersion footprints to different levels of harm (dangerous toxic load and probit values) were obtained for a set of pipeline specific scenarios. HSL's risk assessment tool QuickRisk was then used to calculate the individual and societal risk surrounding the pipeline. Knowledge gaps that were encountered such as: harm criteria, failure rates and release scenarios were identified and are discussed.     

The influence of impurities on the transportation safety of an anthropogenic CO2 pipeline

Transportation safety is a key aspect of carbon capture and storage (CCS), which is a major technology used to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Supercritical CO₂ pipelines have been certified as an optimised choice for CO₂ transportation. The results of this study show that the Peng–Robinson (PR) equation of state is recommended for analysis of the properties of supercritical CO₂. The influence of nonpolar and polar impurities on the two-phase region and the location of the sharp discontinuity in the density are found by analysing the ternary phase equilibrium and physical parameters using the PR equation of state. A transitional area between the supercritical phase and the dense phase, where the density changes abruptly, is defined as the quasi-critical region. This study describes the functional relation between the temperature and the pressure that defines the quasi-critical line by calculating the partial derivative equations and then determines the effect of impurities on the quasi-critical region of transported CO₂. Operational recommendations for pipeline transportation of flue CO₂ are developed using a pipeline operated by Sinopec as an example, demonstrating the influence of impurities in flue CO₂ on saturation pressure for control and prevention of fractures in CO₂ pipelines.     

Risk assessment methodology for high-pressure CO2 pipelines incorporating topography

This paper presents a risk assessment methodology for high-pressure CO₂ pipelines developed at the Health and Safety Laboratory as part of the EU FP7 project CO2Pipehaz.Traditionally, consequence modelling of dense gas releases from pipelines at major hazard impact levels is performed using integral models with limited or no consideration being given to weather bias or topographical features of the surrounding terrain. Whilst dispersion modelling of CO₂ releases from pipelines using three-dimensional CFD models may provide higher levels of confidence in the predicted behaviour of the cloud, the use of such models is resource-intensive and usually impracticable. An alternative is to use more computationally efficient shallow layer or Lagrangian dispersion models that are able to account for the effects of topography whilst generating results within a reasonably short time frame.In the present work, the proposed risk assessment methodology for CO₂ pipelines is demonstrated using a shallow-layer dispersion model to generate contours from a sequence of release points along the pipeline. The simulations use realistic terrain taken from UK topographical data. Individual and societal risk levels in the vicinity of the pipeline are calculated using the Health and Safety Laboratory's risk assessment tool QuickRisk.Currently, the source term for a CO₂ release is not well understood because of its complex thermodynamic properties and its tendency to form solid particles under specific pressure and temperature conditions. This is a key knowledge gap and any subsequent dispersion modelling, particularly when including topography, may be affected by the accuracy of the source term.     

放空管设计对超临界CO2管道放空影响研究

与天然气管道相比,超临界CO2管道放空时的降压可能导致管道内的低温,甚至形成干冰对管道及设备造成损伤,危害管道安全。针对超 临界CO2放空过程可能出现的潜在风险,建立了超临界CO2管道放空计算模型,借助OLGA软件对超临界CO2管道放空进行了稳态和动态模拟,并研 究放空管设计对管道放空的热力水力影响。研究表明:超临界CO2管道放空时管道沿线上各点之间的压力、温度变化差异不大;CO2首先由超临 界相变为气相,然后沿着气液相平衡线或气固相平衡线进行,管内温度降到一定值后逐步回升至管道埋地温度;放空管的直径对超临界CO2管道 放空过程的总时间、放空速率、最大温降以及是否生成干冰有直接影响;放空管高度对放空过程管内参数变化几乎无影响。     

深埋管道中泄漏孔对燃气泄漏影响的数值模拟*

为研究泄漏孔的各种因素对深埋土体中燃气管道泄漏的具体影响,采用1个包含燃气管道的三维模型,研究单个泄漏孔的大小、位置、形状对于埋地燃气管道泄漏的影响,并建立大小相等的双泄漏孔的燃气管道,确定双泄漏孔间距对于燃气泄漏扩散的影响。结果表明:泄漏孔越大,燃气在土壤中的扩散速度越快,且泄漏孔的大小对深埋燃气管道泄漏的影响最大;泄漏孔位置的影响次之,顶部与侧壁的泄漏孔扩散速度相差无几,底部泄漏孔的扩散速度远低于前2者;双泄漏孔间距的影响较小,双泄漏孔的距离越小,甲烷的扩散速度越快;泄漏孔形状对于深埋燃气管道泄漏扩散的影响非常小。     

Modelling three-phase releases of carbon dioxide from high-pressure pipelines

This paper describes the development and experimental validation of a three-phase flow model for predicting the transient outflow following the failure of pressurised CO₂ pipelines and vessels. The choked flow parameters at the rupture plane, spanning the dense-phase and saturated conditions to below the triple point, are modelled by maximisation of the mass flowrate with respect to pressure and solids mass fraction at the triple point. The pertinent solid/vapour/liquid phase equilibrium data are predicted using an extended Peng–Robinson equation of state.The proposed outflow model is successfully validated against experimental data obtained from high-pressure CO₂ releases performed as part of the FP7 CO2PipeHaz project (www.co2pipehaz.eu).The formation of solid phase CO₂ at the triple point is marked by a stabilisation in pressure as confirmed by both theory and experimental observation. For a fixed diameter hypothetical pipeline at 100 bar and 20 °C, the flow model is used to determine the impact of the pipeline length on the time taken to commence solid CO₂ discharge following its rupture.     

Integrated leakage detection and localization model for gas pipelines based on the acoustic wave method

With the development of natural gas transportation systems, major accidents can result from internal gas leaks in pipelines that transport high-pressure gases. Leaks in pipelines that carry natural gas result in enormous financial loss to the industry and affect public health. Hence, leak detection and localization is a major concern for researchers studying pipeline systems. To ensure the safety and improve the efficiency of pipeline emergency repair, a high-pressure and long-distance circular pipe leakage simulation platform is designed and established by similarity analysis with a field transmission pipeline, and an integrated leakage detection and localization model for gas pipelines is proposed. Given that the spread velocity of acoustic waves in pipelines is related to the properties of the medium, such as pressure, density, specific heat, and so on, this paper proposes a modified acoustic velocity and location formula. An improved wavelet double-threshold de-noising optimization method is also proposed to address the original acoustic wave signal collected by the test platform. Finally, the least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) method is applied to determine the leakage degree and operation condition. Experimental results show that the integrated model can enhance the accuracy and precision of pipeline leakage detection and localization.     

Reducing the risk level for pipelines transporting carbon dioxide and hydrogen by means of optimal safety valves spacing

In many countries where electricity generation is based on their natural resources of fossil fuels a need arises to implement new power engineering technologies that allow carbon dioxide capture. Simultaneously, efforts are made to find new energy carriers which, if fired, do not involve carbon dioxide emissions. Hydrogen is one of such fuels with this future potential which is now becoming increasingly popular. Obviously, this means that the two gases mentioned above – carbon dioxide and hydrogen – will be produced in large quantities in future, which in many cases will necessitate their transport over considerable distances. If a pipeline failure occurs, the transport of the gases may pose a serious hazard to people in the immediate vicinity of the leakage site. This paper presents an analysis of the possibility of reducing the level of risk related to pipelines transporting CO₂ and H₂ by means of safety valves. It is shown that for a 50 km long and a 0.4 m diameter pipeline transporting gas with the pressure of 15 MPa the individual risk level can be reduced from 1·10⁻⁴ to 6.5·10⁻⁷ for CO₂ and from 1·10⁻⁶ to 6·10⁻¹⁰ for H₂. The social risk can be diminished in similar proportions.     

输气管道泄漏压力波的频谱特性模拟

为了研究输气管道泄漏压力波的频谱特性,基于大涡模拟对管道泄漏进行了非稳态分析。模拟了不同管道压力、不同泄漏孔径以及不同管道气体流速下的泄漏压力波频谱分布,探讨了不同条件对压力波频谱特性的影响。所得结论对各类管道泄漏压力波的频谱分析具有一定的借鉴作用。     

Release and dispersion behaviour of carbon dioxide released from a small-scale underground pipeline

The development of carbon capture and storage (CCS) brings challenges for safety issues regarding carbon dioxide (CO₂) transmission pipelines. Once a pipeline is punctured or full-bore ruptured, the leaked CO₂ is hazardous to personnel and the environment. Small-scale devices were established with the aim of studying the release and dispersion behaviour of gas and liquid CO₂ from a punctured underground pipeline. A sandbox was built to simulate the underground conditions. The parameters of the sand used in the experiments were tested. CO₂ concentrations on the ground and temperatures around the release orifice in the sand were analysed. The results indicate that in the CO₂ gas release experiments, the CO₂ concentration on the sand surface decreases with increasing horizontal distance in the form of a power function. CO₂ concentrations in upward release are slightly larger than those in horizontal release at the same location but are obviously bigger than values in downward release. The temperature-drop region is much smaller than that in air. A frozen ice ball can be generated near the release orifice during the gas phase of the CO₂-release process. In the liquid phase of CO₂-release experiments, a large amount of dry ice is generated near the release orifice. Dry ice can only be generated in the area close to the release orifice, especially in the near-field area.     

隧道掘进爆破载荷作用下埋地管道的振动峰值速度预测研究*

为研究隧道掘进爆破过程中地震效应对邻近埋地管道安全性的影响,建立平行于隧道的埋地管道数值模型,将管道视为薄壳圆柱体,定义管道在动载荷作用下的塑性破坏准则,并利用无量纲分析法构建管道表面质点的振动速度关于振动频率与爆破持续时间的数学模型,从而研究埋地管道受震特性。结果表明:隧道掘进爆破作业下成洞侧的管道应力峰值低于非成洞侧的管道应力峰值,爆炸载荷下邻近埋地管道表面最大振动速度位于爆源与管道表面最近点处,在该点两侧45度范围内为管道易受损位置。将预测公式计算所得振速峰值与数值模型提取的振速峰值进行比较,得出二者的平均误差约为17.7 %。     

城区天然气管道泄漏数值模拟与爆炸危害分析

在人口密度为三级和四级的城区内,密集的高建筑物对天然气管道泄漏后的扩散和流场形成产生重要影响。本文以某城市的实际情况为例,建立多建筑物的空间几何模型,采用k-ε湍流方程,SIMPLE算法,模拟了在三种不同风流速度、三种不同压力条件下,城区天然气管道泄漏气体在多建筑物地形中的扩散情况。根据模拟结果,依据天然气的爆炸极限,对模拟结果及其火灾爆炸危害的范围进行了对比分析。结果表明,CH4气体的泄漏扩散同时受管道压力、风流速度和周围建筑物的影响;同时受当地风速的影响,泄漏气柱在风流作用下会发生偏折,造成阻挡风流的建筑物内侧危险气体浓度升高,大大增加建筑物周围环境的危险性。研究结果对城区天然气管道的建设具有一定的指导意义。     

A numerical modelling of an influence of CH4, N2, CO2 and steam on a laminar burning velocity of hydrogen in air

The influence of additives of various chemical natures (CH₄, N₂, CO₂, and steam) at a laminar burning velocity S_u of hydrogen in air has been studied by numerical modelling of a flat flame propagation in a gaseous mixture. It was found that the additives of methane to hydrogen–air mixtures cause as a rule monotonic reduction in the S_u value with the exception of very lean mixtures (fuel equivalence ratio ? = 0.4), for which a dependence of the laminar burning velocity on the additive's concentration has a maximum. In the case of the chemically inert additives (N₂, CO₂, H₂O) the laminar burning velocity of rich near-limit hydrogen–air flames drops monotonically with an increase in the additive's content, but no more than 1.5 times, and the adiabatic flame temperature changes slowly in this case. In the case of methane as the additive, the laminar burning velocity is diminished approximately 5 times with an increase in the adiabatic flame temperature from 1200 to 2100 K. Deviations from the known empirical rule of the approximate constancy of the laminar burning velocity for near-limit flames are shown.     

Numerical and experimental study on the generation and propagation of negative wave in high-pressure gas pipeline leakage

Negative-wave-based leakage detection and localization technology has been widely used in the pipeline system to diminish leak loss and enhance environmental protection from hazardous leak events. However, the fluid mechanics behind the negative wave method has yet been disclosed. The objective of this paper is to investigate the generation and propagation of negative wave in high-pressure pipeline leakage. A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamic (CFD) study on the negative wave was carried out with large eddy simulation (LES) method. Experimentally validated simulation presented the transient wave generation at the leak onset and the comprehensive wave evolution afterwards. Negative wave was proven to be a kind of rarefaction acoustic waves induced by transient mass loss at the onset of leakage. Diffusion due to the density difference at wave fronts drives the negative wave propagation. Propagation of negative wave can be categorized into three states – semi-spherical wave, wave superposition and plane wave, based on different wave forms. The wave characteristics at different states were elucidated and the attenuation effects were discussed respectively. Finally, a non-dimensional correlation was proposed to predict the negative wave amplitude based on pipeline pressure and leak diameter.     

Response of the buried steel pipeline caused by perilous rock impact: Parametric study

One of threatening buried steel pipeline in bad geological regions is collapsed rock. Buckling behavior of a buried pipeline impacted by a perilous rock with spherical shape was investigated by numerical simulation. Effects of pipeline parameters (internal pressure, wall thickness, diameter, buried depth) and perilous rock parameters (impact velocity, radius, eccentric distance) on deformation, stress and strain of the buried pipeline were discussed. Buckling behaviors of the buried pipeline under transverse and longitudinal inclined impacts also were studied. The results show that cross section shape of the buried pipeline becomes to an oval, then to a peach shape, and finally to a crescent shape or gourd shape in the process of rock’s impact. The deformation process of a buried pipeline can be divided into four stages. They are elastic deformation stage, buckling stage, elastic recovery stage and final deformation stage. Buckling mode of no-pressure pipeline is more serious than the pressure pipeline. The impact dent’s length and depth increase with the decreasing of buried depth, wall thickness and internal pressure. But they increase with the increasing of impact velocity, perilous rock’s radius and pipeline’s diameter. The maximum stress and plastic strain decrease with the increasing of buried depth and wall thickness. Under rock’s eccentric impact, impact dent trends to one side. Stress and plastic deformation decrease with the eccentric distance increases. Under rock’s transverse and longitudinal inclined impacts, cross section shape of the buried pipeline is an oval shape when the incidence angle α ≤ 45°, and there is no plastic deformation. When α > 45°, impact dent appears. Buckling is more serious with the incidence angle increases. Destructive powers of transverse and longitudinal inclined impacts are smaller than the vertical impact.     

埋地输氢管道泄漏爆炸事故后果模拟分析

为了输氢管道的安全建设与运营,基于计算流体力学FLACS软件,模拟了埋地输氢管道在半受限空间内的泄漏爆炸事故后果,探讨了泄漏孔径、泄漏时长、输氢压力和环境风速对爆炸事故后果的影响规律,并得出相应的危险区域。结果表明:泄漏孔径、输氢压力和最大爆炸超压均与危险区域呈正相关关系,泄漏时长对事故后果几乎无影响;随着输氢压力的增大,危险区域受建筑物和风速的影响更为明显,在建筑物附近形成了狭长的危险区域带;最大爆炸超压和危险区域随环境风速的增大均呈现出先增大后减小的趋势。     

Simulation study on near-field structure and flow characteristics of high-pressure CO2 released from the pipeline

The accidental release of high-pressure carbon dioxide (CO₂) can cause serious damages to both humans and pipeline equipment. Therefore, it is of great significance to have a deeper understanding about the release characteristics of high-pressure CO₂ for improving the safety level of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies. Both industrial-scale and laboratory-scale studies have been carried out to predict the release behaviors. In recent years, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation has become a crucial method to study the instantaneous changes and microscopic details of the fluid behaviors. In this paper, the simulation method was employed to study the near-field structure and flow characteristics of high-pressure CO₂ released from pipelines. The Peng-Robinson Equation of State (EOS) was used to compute the thermodynamic properties of high-pressure CO₂, and SST k-ω model was applied to simulate the structure and physical parameters of the under-expanded jet. In addition, the multi-phase mixture model was introduced to study the phase transition. The non-equilibrium liquid/vapor transition is modeled by introducing ‘source terms’ for mass transfer and latent heat. Compared to the experimental results, the simulation results showed good agreement. Furthermore, the influences of operating conditions, including different stagnation pressure, stagnation temperature, and nozzle size, were analyzed.     

基于超压值地铁上覆管道爆炸对隧道及人员安全影响研究*

为分析地铁上覆管道爆炸对乘客安全影响,采用基于超压冲击波阀值数值模拟,通过将泄漏气体能量等效为TNT当量,分析不同泄漏模式爆炸冲击波对地铁隧道及人员安全影响。结果表明:爆炸产生的超压冲击波对隧道及人员影响小于限值,不会造成人员伤亡,研究结果可为地下工程下穿油气管线安全影响分析提供理论支撑。     

堆载作用下埋地管道应力影响因素及失效荷载研究*

为探究地面堆载导致埋地油气管道失效的事故影响因素,通过对管道在堆载作用下的工程案例进行概化,以X70管道为研究对象,采用有限元软件建立管道在堆载作用下的三维模型,采用理论计算验证模型的可行性,开展管道应力与变形分析,探讨不同的堆载强度、管道埋设深度、下卧层土体杨氏模量、管道内压与堆载偏移距离对管道应力的影响,同时开展多因素耦合研究。研究结果表明:深埋管道会促进附加应力向两端扩散,管道中心部位以外的应力值呈现为深埋＞浅埋;当下卧层杨氏模量大于20 MPa后,管道偏于安全;内压在0~2 MPa时,可以抵消部分堆载对管道的影响,内压大于2 MPa后,管道应力整体增大,此时管道应力由内压主导;得到不同管道埋深与不同下卧层土体杨氏模量耦合工况下X70管道失效时的堆载强度。研究结果可为埋地管道在堆载作用下的安全防护问题提供参考。     

Experimental study on explosion inhibition by heptafluoropropane and its synergy with inert gas

The inhibition effect of heptafluoropropane (CF₃CHFCF₃) on methane explosions under different inhibitor concentrations in a closed vessel was studied. A high-speed camera and a pressure sensor were adopted respectively to record flame propagation characteristics and pressure data. Results indicate that the relationship between flame propagation and pressure rising was correlated. As the equivalent ratio (ϕ)≤1, the pressure presented a trend of rising firstly and then decreasing with increasing CF₃CHFCF₃ concentration, and it was found that there existed a critical concentration for pressure decrease. As ϕ > 1, the pressure exhibited a decreasing trend. Although the pressure appeared to seemingly increase, the moment that the pressure began to rise (t_rise) and the moment that the maximum explosion overpressure appeared (t_Pmax) were obviously delayed. The average rate of pressure rise ((dP/dt)_ave) was decreased as the concentration of CF3CHFCF3 increased. It indicates that CF₃CHFCF₃ can effectively reduce the explosion reaction rate. The critical concentration of CF₃CHFCF₃ for complete inhibition was determined. Meanwhile, the synergy of CF₃CHFCF₃-inert gas can improve the inhibition effect. Compared with CF₃CHFCF₃–N₂, the synergy of CF₃CHFCF₃–CO₂ presented a better inhibition effect, and the inhibition effect was increased with increasing inert gas concentration. And the mechanisms of physical and chemical effects on explosion inhibition were analyzed.