LNG加注趸船安全距离确定方法研究

为确定液化天然气(LNG)加注趸船与周边建(构)筑物的安全距离,对趸船LNG储罐和加液臂泄漏后果进行数值模拟计算。利用FLACS软件,计算不同泄漏场景LNG气云扩散距离;采用自主开发的LNG火灾计算软件LNGFHR+计算趸船储罐泄漏和加液臂泄漏池火热辐射强度的影响距离。结果表明:LNG泄漏量、气象条件、风向等均会对LNG气云的扩散距离产生影响;储罐泄漏池火热辐射影响距离大于加液臂的影响距离。根据计算结果,确定LNG加注趸船与重要公共建筑物的安全距离为120~150 m,与民用建筑物的安全距离为85~110 m,与生产厂房、库房和甲、乙、丙类液体储罐的安全距离为90~110 m。     

LNG燃料动力船三维建模及爆炸事故模拟

为了进一步推广液化天然气（LNG）燃料动力船舶的应用,利用计算流体动力学（CFD）软件FLACS进行LNG燃料动力船进行三维建模,综合考虑环境方面的因素,对LNG的泄漏扩散进行模拟,在此基础上进行爆炸事故后果模拟。对爆炸事故进行分析,得到特定事故情景下的LNG扩散半径、燃烧区域半径、爆炸对人以及建筑物的危害半径,模拟结果对船舶上的管线以及消防设施的布局有一定的指导作用,并且为进一步研究LNG燃料动力船舶的安全性提供了基础数据。     

水面LNG液池扩展模型的分析与对比研究

为了评价在开阔水面上的液化天然气（LNG）火灾和蒸气云爆炸灾害后果，分析了LNG水面扩展动态过程；对比分析了Fay模型、FERC模型和计算流体力学软件FLACS的计算结果，探讨了LNG液池面积随时间的动态变化过程，分析了泄漏量、泄漏速率等参数对LNG液池扩展半径的影响；根据液池扩展模型的计算结果，确定了LNG液池的最大面积，并以此分析了LNG流淌火灾的辐射危害。研究结果表明:对于相同的泄漏条件，3种方法模拟的泄漏LNG水面扩展动态过程相似，一般情况下，FLACS模型，FERC模型和Fay模型所计算的最大液池半径依次增大;由于FERC模型与FLACS软件的模拟结果接近且偏于保守，故此在一般的工程应用时，采用FERC模型即可方便快捷地获得较为准确的结果。     

高含硫天然气站场泄漏扩散数值模拟分析

为研究不同泄漏场景下的硫化氢泄漏扩散特性,采用计算流体力学软件FLACS对站内设备进行了三维建模,并对站内分离器及管道开展了泄漏扩散模拟,通过分析模拟结果得到了不同泄漏速率及时间下硫化氢扩散规律。研究结果对于预测高含硫天然气站场泄漏事故影响范围及开展后续应急工作具有一定的实际意义。     

基于FLACS的LNG船舶泄漏爆炸过程数值模拟研究*

为研究大尺寸、全场景下LNG船舶卸货作业过程中的泄漏爆炸风险,构建某LNG接收站及其周边20.5 km2的区域场景模型,采用FLACS软件数值模拟LNG泄漏扩散、气云爆炸的演化过程。结果表明:LNG从卸料臂处以满输速率持续泄漏5 min,最大液池面积17 047 m2,最大汽化速率350 kg/m3,遇点火源发生气云爆炸,爆炸持续时间12 s,产生最高爆炸火球340 m和最大爆炸超压0.25 MPa,形成半径380 m轻伤区、150 m重伤区和60 m死亡区。     

地面条件对LNG泄漏扩散的影响

采用Fluent软件开展在不同地面条件下LNG泄漏扩散的数值模拟,研究了地面粗糙度和热通量对LNG泄漏扩散过程中甲烷体积分数为ULF,LFL,1/2 LFL分布规律的影响。结果表明:甲烷ULF,LFL,1/2 LFL等体积分数线最远扩散距离随着地面粗糙度值增加而减小,尤其是甲烷1/2 LFL等体积分数线最远扩散距离减少达70 m,约8. 5%;另外甲烷ULF,LFL,1/2 LFL等体积分数线最远扩散距离随着地面热通量的增加而减小,尤其是甲烷1/2 LFL等体积分数线最远扩散距离减少达85 m,约14%。     

LNG储罐泄漏危险性计算及影响因素分析

针对LNG储罐泄漏气体扩散模拟分析过程中存在计算和分析过程复杂的问题,选取适当的气体扩散模型,对危险气体的扩散进行模拟和分析,绘制蒸汽扩散UFL(爆炸上限)、LFL(爆炸下限)、1/2LFL浓度等值线图,实现蒸汽扩散伤害分区的准确划分,提高了计算速率和精确度。并利用程序模拟分析了风速、地表粗糙度、泄漏速率等因素对LNG泄漏气体扩散影响。研究结果表明,当风速方向和泄漏源泄漏方向相同时,蒸汽扩散距离和危害范围随风速增大呈减小趋势;蒸汽在下风向扩散距离随着地表粗糙度的增大而减小;扩散距离和危害范围随泄漏速率的增大而增大。     

防护堤高度对LNG扩散行为影响研究

防护堤是LNG储罐区重要的安全措施之一,防护堤高度对于LNG的扩散行为具有显著影响。采用计算流体动力学(CFD)研究半地下LNG储罐区不同防护堤高度下的LNG液池和LNG蒸气云扩散行为,对比分析储罐区底面积和防护堤高度对LNG蒸气扩散距离和扩散速度影响。结果表明防护堤高度的增加可有效减小LNG蒸气云的0.5倍燃烧下限(LFL)扩散距离。因此,对于同一种半地下LNG储罐区,在液池充分扩展前,可燃气云最大扩散距离与储罐区底面积成正比,防护堤高度的增加可减小LNG可燃气云的扩散距离。研究结果可指导LNG加气站半地下LNG储罐区防护堤的设置。     

风速对LNG泄漏扩散过程影响的数值模拟

为研究环境风速对液化天然气(LNG)泄漏扩散过程的影响,采用Fluent建立LNG连续泄漏计算流体力学模型,开展不同风速下LNG泄漏扩散过程的数值模拟研究。结果表明,LNG泄漏扩散分为扩散初期、扩散中期、扩散后期3个阶段,扩散过程中LNG从低温重气逐渐转变成轻质气体。环境风速对气云的扩散主要体现在:低于5级风时,云团以两侧卷吸为主,气云表现为"叶状分叉"、中间低两端高,此时气云横风向扩散较快,甲烷扩散距离与冻伤距离随风速增大而增大;而高于5级风时,云团以顶部卷吸为主,气云表现为云团坍塌、中间高两端低,此时气云垂直风向扩散较快,甲烷扩散距离与冻伤距离随风速增大而减小。初步建立了LNG蒸气云爆炸风险范围与冻伤区域和泄漏时间、环境风速的函数关系,可为爆炸风险区域和低温冻伤区域的预测提供理论支撑。     

危险化学品泄漏的大气扩散数值模拟

对苯在大气中的扩散进行数值模拟,估测泄漏气体污染范围、各阶段苯的泄漏速率,以及发生池火灾时热辐射的危害范围等,量化了大气温度、地面风速、地面粗糙度(地形、建筑因素)等环境因素对不同危险性级别区域分布的影响,得到了苯扩散距离随大气温度、地面风速以及地面粗糙度(地形、建筑因素)的变化曲线,探讨了在不同环境因素作用下苯的大气扩散规律,并对研究结果进行分析。     

Numerical simulation of LNG dispersion under two-phase release conditions

The use of LNG (liquefied natural gas) as fuel brings up issues regarding safety and acceptable risk. The potential hazards associated with an accidental LNG spill should be evaluated, and a useful tool in LNG safety assessment is computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. In this paper, the ADREA-HF code has been applied to simulate LNG dispersion in open-obstructed environment based on Falcon Series Experiments. During these experiments LNG was released and dispersed over water surface. The spill area is confined with a billboard upwind of the water pond. FA1 trial was chosen to be simulated, because its release and weather conditions (high total spill volume and release rate, low wind speed) allow the gravitational force to influence the cold, dense vapor cloud and can be considered as a benchmark for LNG dispersion in fenced area. The source was modeled with two different approaches: as vapor pool and as two phase jet and the predicted methane concentration at sensors' location was compared with the experimental one. It is verified that the source model affect to a great extent the LNG dispersion and the best case was the one modeling the source as two phase jet. However, the numerical results in the case of two phase jet source underestimate the methane concentration for most of the sensors. Finally, the paper discusses the effect of neglecting the ?9.3° experimental wind direction, which leads to the symmetry assumption with respect to wind and therefore less computational costs. It was found that this effect is small in case of a jet source but large in the case of a pool source.     

LNG accident dynamic simulation: Application for hazardous consequence reduction

The evaluation of exclusion (hazard) zones around the LNG stations is essential for risk assessment in LNG industry. In this study, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations have been conducted for the two potential hazards, LNG flammable vapor dispersion and LNG pool fire radiation, respectively, to evaluate the exclusion zones. The spatial and temporal distribution of hazard in complex spill scenario has been taken into account in the CFD model. Experimental data from Falcon and Montoir field tests have been used to validate the simulation results. With the valid CFD model, the mitigation of the vapor dispersion with spray water curtains and the pool fire with high expansion foam were investigated. The spray water curtains were studied as a shield to prevent LNG vapor dispersing, and two types of water spray curtain, flat and cone, were analyzed to show their performance for reduction and minimization of the hazard influencing distance and area. The high expansion foam firefighting process was studied with dynamic simulation of the foam action, and the characteristics of the foam action on the reduction of LNG vaporization rate, vapor cloud and flame size as well as the thermal radiation hazard were analyzed and discussed.     

Quantification of source-level turbulence during LNG spills onto a water pond

The use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models to simulate LNG vapor dispersion scenarios has been growing steadily over the last few years, with applications to LNG spills on land as well as on water. Before a CFD model may be used to predict the vapor dispersion hazard distances for a hypothetical LNG spill scenario, it is necessary for the model to be validated with respect to relevant experimental data. As part of a joint-industry project aimed at validating the CFD methodology, the LNG vapor source term, including the turbulence level associated with the evaporation process vapors was quantified for one of the Falcon tests.This paper presents the method that was used to quantify the turbulent intensity of evaporating LNG, by analyzing the video images of one of the Falcon tests, which involved LNG spills onto a water pond. The measured rate of LNG pool growth and spreading and the quantified turbulence intensity that were obtained from the image analysis were used as the LNG vapor source term in the CFD model to simulate the Falcon-1 LNG spill test. Several CFD simulations were performed, using a vaporization flux of 0.127 kg/m² s, radial and outward spreading velocities of 1.53 and 0.55 m/s respectively, and a range of turbulence kinetic energy values between 2.9 and 28.8 m²/s². The resulting growth and spread of the vapor cloud within the impounded area and outside of it were found to match the observed behavior and the experimental measured data.The results of the analysis presented in this paper demonstrate that a detailed and accurate definition of the LNG vapor source term is critical in order for any vapor cloud dispersion simulation to provide useful and reliable results.     

Experiment and simulation research of evolution process for LNG leakage and diffusion

The frequent occurrence of LNG leakage accidents has caused serious economic loss and environmental damage. Experiments and simulations can be combined to obtain the transient process of LNG leakage and diffusion. This paper analyzed LNG leakage diffusion rules with experiment results obtained by depleting 1.4t LNG. The vapor clouds and LNG concentration are measured, which can be a comparison with the simulation results. Computational fluid dynamics and gas diffusion theory were chosen as the theoretical basis, simulating the transient process of LNG gasification to obtain the diffusion concentration rules. The simulation of LNG diffusion is divided into two parts: LNG leakage at the source and atmospheric diffusion. The maximum concentration of methane in the experiment was 4.1%, and the maximum concentration in the simulation was 4.6%. The results show good agreement of the deviation statistics, which fall in the standard recommendation value range. Then we make a prediction of the dangerous concentration area and the flammability hazard zone of LNG leakage accident. The simulation results show that the range of the lower wind direction danger area firstly increases and then decreases, and the maximum distance of IDLH increases firstly and arrived at the peak of 52  m at 300s.     

Dispersion modeling of LNG-Vapor on land – A CFD-Model evaluation study

Based on methane from renewable resources, LNG is an alternative fuel for heavy and long-distance traffic in land transport. Contrary to its positive properties, the fuel contains risks from an explosion and extremely low temperatures for personal and infrastructure safety. CFD-models are suitable for doing risk analyses for arbitrary scenarios. For examining how to model for risk research the dispersion of LNG-vapor, this paper contains a model variant study, with an evaluation by experiments.This paper describes the use of the CFD-code ANSYS Fluent for simulating experiments of the ‘LNG Safety Program Phase II‘. The content of the well-documented experiments was the research of the vaporization rate of LNG on land and the dispersion of LNG-vapor in the air. Based on the comparison to two experiments, overall 12 CFD-model variants with varying thermal and turbulence parameters were examined how they affect the transient LNG-vapor dispersion in air.The definition of turbulence-boundary-condition at the domain borders had the biggest impact on modeling, followed by the turbulence model. The most accurate model variant had been applied for observing the spreading behavior of LNG-vapor in the air after evaporation on land and analyzing the influence of the LNG-composition to the dispersion. The results show that the mixture of LNG-vapor and the air in the free field is cooler than the ambient air and spreads like a heavy gas on the ground.     

Application of fire suppression materials on suppression of LNG pool fires

An LNG pool fire is considered one of the main hazards of LNG, together with LNG vapor dispersion. Suppression methods are designed to reduce the hazard exclusion zones, distance to reach radiant heat of 5 kW/m², when an LNG pool fire is considered. For LNG vapor dispersion, the hazard exclusion zone is the distance travelled by the LNG vapor to reach a concentration of 2.5% v/v (half of the LNG lower flammability limit).Warming the LNG vapor to reach positive buoyancy faster is one way to suppress LNG vapor dispersion and reduce evaporation rate (thus fire size and its associated radiant heat) and that is the main objective in LNG pool fire suppression. Based on previous research, the use of high expansion foam has been regarded as the primary method in suppressing LNG pool fires. However, in 1980, another method was introduced as an alternative pool fire suppression system, Foamglas^®. The research concluded that 90% of the radiant heat was successfully reduced. Currently-called Foamglas^® pool fire suppression (Foamglas^® PFS) is a passive mitigation system and is deployed after the leak occurs. Foamglas^® PFS is non-flammable, and has a density one-third of the density of LNG, thus floats when an LNG pool is formed.This paper describes the study and confirmation of Foamglas^®PFS effectiveness in suppressing LNG pool fires. In addition, while Foamglas^® PFS is not expected to suppress LNG vapor dispersion, further investigation was conducted to study the effect of Foamglas^®PFS on LNG vapor dispersion. An LNG field experiment was conducted at Brayton Fire Field. The experimental development, procedures, results and findings are detailed in this paper.     

Experimental research of LNG accidental underwater release and combustion behavior

Evaluating potential hazards caused by accidental LNG release from underwater pipelines or vessels is a significant consideration in marine transportation safety. The aim of this study was to capture the dynamic behavior of LNG jet released under water and to analyze its vapor dispersion characteristics and combustion characteristics on the water surface during different release scenarios. Controlled experiments were conducted where LNG was jet released from a cryogenic storage tank. The dynamic process of LNG being jet released from orifices of different sizes and shapes, as well as the rising plume structure, were captured by a high-speed camera. The leakage flow rate and pipeline pressure were recorded by a flow meter and pressure gauge, respectively. The concentration distribution that emanated from the water surface was measured utilizing methane sensors in different positions with various wind speeds. The flame combustion characteristics of LNG vapor clouds, which immediately ignited upon the enclosed water tank, were also recorded. Additionally, the mass burning rate of the flame on the water surface was evaluated, and a new correlation between the ratio of flame length and width was established. The results indicated a large dimensionless heat release rate (Q*) and a continuous release flow rate in a limited burning area. This study could provide greater understanding of the mechanisms of LNG release and combustion behavior under water.     

Modeling the vapor source term associated with the spill of LNG into a sump or impoundment area

The recent publication of evaluation protocols for vapor source term models and vapor dispersion models have influenced the modeling approaches that can be used for approval of new and expansion projects at LNG receiving terminals. In the past few years the scientific basis of integral vapor source term models has been questioned with growing concerns regarding their validity. In this paper, the shallow water equations (SWEs) were solved to study the characteristics of the evaporating LNG pool associated with a constant flow rate spill of LNG into a concrete sump. In the early stages of pool spreading, the leading edge thickness profile of the SWE model scales with the square root of the distance from the leading edge as the pool spreads. After the edge of the pool reaches the wall, the reflected wave forms a hydraulic jump that travels back towards the center of the pool at a speed that is considerably slower than the initial spreading of the pool. Once the hydraulic jump reaches the center, the pool assumes a nearly flat free surface for the rest of the spill. The pool spreading and the rate of evaporation from the SWEs were then compared to the solution provided by the integral model, PHAST. The two approaches were found to agree well with one another. The SWE model was also used to demonstrate the influence of an elevated spill source. With an elevated source, the LNG pool spreads faster, significantly increasing the initial rate of vaporization and peak vaporization rate. This increase in the initial rate of vaporization could lead to an increase in the vapor cloud hazard distance. The SWE model was also used to demonstrate the influence of an inclined sump floor in the shape of an inverted cone where the spilling LNG accumulates in the low vertex of the cone. Inclined sump floors can be used to significantly reduce the cumulative evaporation, making them attractive as a possible mitigation approach in cases where a containment sump is located close to a property boundary.     

Validation of FLACS against experimental data sets from the model evaluation database for LNG vapor dispersion

The siting of facilities handling liquefied natural gas (LNG), whether for liquefaction, storage or regasification purposes, requires the hazards from potential releases to be evaluated. One of the consequences of an LNG release is the creation of a flammable vapor cloud, that may be pushed beyond the facility boundaries by the wind and thus present a hazard to the public. Therefore, numerical models are required to determine the footprint that may be covered by a flammable vapor cloud as a result of an LNG release. Several new models have been used in recent years for this type of simulations. This prompted the development of the “Model evaluation protocol for LNG vapor dispersion models” (MEP): a procedure aimed at evaluating quantitatively the ability of a model to accurately predict the dispersion of an LNG vapor cloud.This paper summarizes the MEP requirements and presents the results obtained from the application of the MEP to a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model – FLACS. The entire set of 33 experiments included in the model validation database were simulated using FLACS. The simulation results are reported and compared with the experimental data. A set of statistical performance measures are calculated based on the FLACS simulation results and compared with the acceptability criteria established in the MEP. The results of the evaluation demonstrate that FLACS can be considered a suitable model to accurately simulate the dispersion of vapor from an LNG release.