Analysis of the boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion (BLEVE) of a liquefied natural gas road tanker: The Zarzalico accident

The road accident of a tanker transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) originated a fire and, finally, the BLEVE of the tank. This accident has been analyzed, both from the point of view of the emergency management and the explosion and fireball effects. The accidental sequence is described: fire, LNG release, further safety valves release, flames impingement on vessel unprotected wall, vessel failure mode, explosion and fireball. According to the effects and consequences observed, the thermal radiation and overpressure are estimated; a mathematical model is applied to calculate the probable mass contained in the vessel at the moment of the explosion. The peak overpressure predicted from two models is compared with the values inferred from the accident observed data. The emergency management is commented.     

Generalising two-phase homogeneous equilibrium pipeline and jet models to the case of carbon dioxide

The safety of high pressure pipelines is nowadays routinely analysed using simple integral models to predict the nature of a release following a possible breach. Where two-phase flow may result, models making the assumption of homogeneous equilibrium between liquid and gas phases have been used successfully. In the case of a pipeline carrying carbon dioxide, however, solidification of a significant amount of the gas (owing to its high triple point pressure) is a distinct possibility, necessitating consideration of gas, liquid, and solid phases. This paper shows how integral models of two-phase flow can be generalised to accommodate the solid phase, and investigates some of the details of the flow where the triple point pressure occurs and partial solidification begins. It is shown that two-phase homogeneous equilibrium flow models may be generalised straightforwardly to cover the case of carbon dioxide, and some features are seen to emerge independently of more detailed flow modelling considerations.     

Overpressure development during the combustion of a hydrogen–air mixture partial filling a confined space

The paper describes the results from experimental studies and theoretical predictions of the final overpressures developed on combustion of a partial volume inside a larger closed vessel. The partial volume is assumed flammable whilst the remainder of the volume is initially filled with air alone. Particular attention is given to partial volumes of hydrogen–air mixtures. The accuracy of two theoretical models for predicting the final equilibrium pressure throughout the entire closed volume are also assessed.     

液氨储罐泄漏扩散模型的改进研究

针对液氨储罐孔洞泄漏的实际工况,综合考虑泄漏及由于泄漏导致液氨闪蒸造成 的罐压变化,以及储罐的许用压力,对其连续泄漏过程进行了分析,以此改进现有的泄漏扩 散后果分析模型,获得较忽略这些因素更为严重的后果.最后针对灾难性事故发生前连续泄 漏最大持续时间的影响因素进行了分析.结果表明,环境温度与初始罐压对其影响较大,是决定...     

LPG罐区危险性的研究及分析

目前,绝大多数危险性评价所研究的对象是单一的危险源或危险过程.但是,在日常工业生产中,常常会出现由于初次事故能量的释放而导致的二次甚至多次事故的发生.随着工业生产的大型化,储存量的递增使得多米诺事故发生的可能性也在增加.LPG储罐区正是发生此类事故的危险区域.通过相关模型的运用评价了在LPG储罐区发生火灾爆炸后,相邻危险源发生多米诺事故的可能性,并对安全间距作了着重的分析.     

Numerical study on the spontaneous ignition of pressurized hydrogen during its sudden release into the tube with varying lengths and diameters

Fuel cell vehicles (FCV) and other hydrogen systems with pressurized hydrogen has a safety hazard of spontaneous ignition during its sudden release into the tube. Tube parameter is a key factor affecting the spontaneous ignition of pressurized hydrogen. In this paper, a numerical study on the spontaneous ignition of pressurized hydrogen during its sudden release into the tube with varying lengths and diameters is conducted. The models of Large Eddy Simulation (LES), Eddy Dissipation Concept (EDC), Renormalization Group (RNG), 10-step like opening process of burst disk and 18-step detailed hydrogen combustion mechanism are employed. 6 cases are simulated based on the previous experiments. Numerical results show that the possibility of spontaneous ignition of pressurized hydrogen increases inside the longer and thinner tubes, which agrees with the experimental results. The increasing of tube length has little influence on the shock wave formation and propagation inside the tube. However, there exists critical tube lengths for the generation of Mach disk and the normal shock wave: the maximum and minimum distances for the generation of the Mach disk in 10 mm diameter tube are 7.8 and 6.7 mm, respectively. As for the normal shock wave, these critical values are 22.1 and 19.4 mm, respectively. In addition, the formation times and initial positions of Mach disk and normal shock wave are delayed inside the thicker tube. Due to the shock-affected time increases with the increasing of tube length, the temperature could rise to the critical ignition temperature and triggers the spontaneous ignition due to the sufficient tube length even though the less hydrogen/air mixture and the contact surface with lower temperature is produced inside the thicker tube. Finally, a simple time scale analysis is conducted.     

Mechanisms of high-pressure hydrogen gas self-ignition in tubes

This paper describes a numerical and experimental investigation of hydrogen self-ignition occurring as a result of the formation of a shock wave. The shock wave is formed in front of high-pressure hydrogen gas propagating in a tube. The ignition of the hydrogen–air mixture occurs at the contact surface of the hydrogen and oxidant mixture and is due to the temperature increase produced as a result of the shock wave. The required condition for self-ignition is to maintain the high temperature in the mixture for a time long enough for inflammation to take place. The experimental technique employed was based on a high-pressure chamber pressurized with hydrogen, to the point of a burst disk operating to discharge pressurized hydrogen into a tube of cylindrical or rectangular cross section containing air. A physicochemical model involving gas-dynamic transport of a viscous gas, detailed kinetics of hydrogen oxidation and heat exchange in the laminar approach was used for calculations of high-pressure hydrogen self-ignition. The reservoir pressure range, when a shock wave is formed in the air that has sufficient intensity to produce self-ignition of the hydrogen–air mixture, is found. An analysis of governing physical phenomena based on the experimental and numerical results of the initial conditions (the hydrogen pressure inside the vessel, and the shape of the tube in which the hydrogen was discharged) and physical mechanisms that lead to combustion is presented.     

Failure of a horizontal pressure vessel containing a high temperature liquid: the velocity of end-cap and rocket missiles

Many process plant installations include cylindrical vessels which contain high temperature liquids with the remaining space above occupied by vapour or a vapour/gas mixture. If such a pressure vessel were to be ruptured, missiles (i.e. fragments) may be generated and equipment in the vicinity put at risk. There is a particular threat from large missiles. Theoretical models have been developed to describe the peak velocity achieved by end-caps and `rocket' missiles generated by the circumferential failure of a vessel. The end-cap missile model assumes that the action of the escaping vapour/liquid on the end-cap is analogous to a missile driven by a gas jet from a constant pressure source. The `rocket' missile velocities are derived via a simple approximation to the impulse applied to the internal face of the closed end of the `rocket'. Experiments have confirmed the validity of these approaches and upper limit values to end-cap and `rocket' velocities have been defined.     

基于QRA角度评价LNG储罐类型的选择

为提高LNG储存的安全性,基于QRA(定量风险评价),利用应急危险定位分析软件分别进行了LNG中小型储罐及大型储槽泄漏事故分析和LNG带压储罐充注压力专项对比分析。结果表明:立式圆柱常压储罐应选择高径比接近于1的罐体而压力罐的选择受高径比的影响很小;当对常压储罐高度有要求时,球形罐是比立式圆柱罐更好的选择;在大型LNG储槽中,常压储槽自身压力很大,可以起到抑制BOG(蒸发气体)产生的作用;在饱和状态下,压力罐的充注压力并非越小越好,需进行针对性分析计算,选取最适合的充注与设计压力。掌握LNG储罐事故后果与罐体形状与类型之间的关系可加强并丰富对其储罐类型选择的认识,可较好的为提高其储存安全性提供数据支撑与理论基础。     

Stratified Propane–Air Explosions in a Duct Vented Geometry: Effect of Concentration,Ignition and Injection Position

Duct vented geometries are a common feature in modern industrial installations where a vessel is protected from internal explosion pressures, and where the explosion products need to be directed away from sensitive areas. In this research, stratified propane–air concentrations have been investigated using a vented vessel connected to a vent pipe. Concentration, injection position and ignition position were varied and comparisons made with homogeneous tests at the same ‘global concentration’ for each condition. The maximum pressures produced by the worst case stratified mixture were only about a quarter of the maximum produced by the worst case homogeneous mixtures. However, for lean concentrations, stratified mixtures were shown to produce consistently greater pressures than the equivalent homogeneous case, irrespective of ignition position. In addition, results are presented which demonstrate that end ignition appears to be more severe than central ignition, contrary to what is reported in literature.     

Case study: Assessment on large scale LPG BLEVEs in the 2011 Tohoku earthquakes

After the 2011 Tohoku earthquakes, several chemical and oil complexes on the Pacific Ocean shoreline of northeast Japan experienced massive losses. In Chiba, a refinery operated by Cosmo Oil lost 17 LPG storage vessels which were either heavily damaged or totally destroyed by fires and explosions in the refinery. These large vessels ranged in size from 1000 to 5000 m³. The estimated volume of LPG at the time of the incident was between 400 and 5000 m³ for each vessel. Five boiling liquid expanding vapor explosions (BLEVEs) of LPG occurred, resulting in huge fire balls measuring about 500 m in diameter.A BLEVE is defined as the explosive release of expanding vapor and boiling liquid when a container holding a pressure-liquefied gas fails catastrophically. It is thus important to estimate the physical properties of superheated liquids: the thermodynamic and transport properties, the intrinsic limits to superheating and depressurization, and the nature of thermodynamic paths. Also it is hoped to provide better understanding of the vessels designed, manufactured, installed, and operated to reduce or eliminate the probability that a sequence of events will result in BLEVE or loss of primary containment. Knowledge of these matters is still incomplete. The objective of this research is to estimate the significant BLEVE phenomenon in very large scale spherical vessels based on published information in Japan. There are some models predicting BLEVEs. However, it is essential to know if this is true for very large scales such as spheres since validation is usually rare to provide confidence in estimating the superheated liquids behaviors. To this end, comparing with the information on this event, the conditions in the five LPG vessels at the time of the BLEVE were determined in terms of: duration of vessel failure (time to BLEVE); mass fraction in the vessel with time; temperature distribution in the liquid and vapor region and pressure within the vessel (e.g. initial pressure and internal high-speed transient pressure during failure), by means of a computer program AFFTAC Analysis of Fire Effects on Tank Cars, which solves heat conduction, stress and a failure model of the tank, a thermodynamic model of its fluid contents, and a flow model for the lading flowing through the safety relief device. Subsequently, the consequences from the sphere BLEVE, such as the expected fireball diameter and duration and the expected blast overpressure produced by the BLEVE failures, are also subjects of active research. Here the blast using the methods of PHAST and SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering was calculated.Results suggest that methodologies here used gave reasonable estimations for such real and huge BLEVEs in a validated way, which may provide valuable guidance for risk mitigation strategy with regard to LPG facility in design, emergency planning, resiliency, operations, and risk management.     

Methodology for selecting hole sizes for consequence studies

Predicting release rates is the first step, and a crucial step, in consequence analysis. When the release is from an isolated volume of vessel and/or piping, the release rate decreases with time. There is often debate about what equivalent hole sizes should be used for a consequence study, and usually a range of hole sizes (3–4 values) is examined.This paper shows the effect of hole size on the ultimate impact of hydrocarbon releases for several scenarios and the methodology to select them. The impact depends on the intensity and exposure time. The intensity for a fire is the thermal radiation level, and that for an unignited release is the gas concentration. As the release rate decreases with time, so does the intensity. Probit functions describe the probability of a given impact based on the time-varying intensity. For a number of example scenarios, the predictions show that the worst-case hole size is an intermediate hole size, i.e., the impact goes through a maximum with increasing hole size. For smaller holes, the event is small enough that its impact is low even though the duration is long. For larger holes, the initial event is large but decreases so rapidly that the impact is low. For the intermediate hole, the event is large enough, and the duration long enough, to cause the greatest impact.This consequence study was made evaluating hole sizes with diameters between 5 and 400 mm in a fixed volume upstream process vessel. Worst case scenario consequence predictions for fire damages, effects on people and toxic releases were determined to be somewhat different for different hole sizes. However, hole sizes in the 30 mm–90 mm range seems to have the highest impact in dry gas service.     

OGFC面层在公路隧道防火中的作用

研究了OGFC路面在隧道防火中的应用,并分析了其防火效果.OGFC沥青混合料孔隙率高达15%～25%,可以把泄漏在OGFC路面层的液体燃料迅速排入道路两侧边沟.本文对比分析了OGFC/SMA/AK三种沥青混合料的排油速率和饱油孔隙率.通过室内马歇尔试件的汽油燃烧试验和隧道内燃料泄漏模型的计算分析,发现OGFC面层的排油防火效果非常好.     

Mutual effects between dynamic leakage behavior and the pressure/temperature in a LNG tank with external heat fluxes

The objective of this work is to investigate and model the mutual effects between the dynamic pressure/temperature in the LNG tank and the leakage behavior with external heat fluxes. The results suggest that the pressure and temperature in tank during leakage change with the comparison results between the heat flux consumed in liquid boil-off and the external heat flux supplied. At the liquid leakage stage, when the external heat flux is not very high, the pressure in tank tends to increase significantly, even results in tank explosion. It increases more and more heavily with higher and higher external heat fluxes. At the vapor leakage stage, large amount of vapor spray out, which results in a high generation rate of vapor by the liquid boil-off. The pressure in tank normally decreases to be low, which is unfavorable for the LNG tank explosion. Therefore, at this vapor leakage stage, blocking the leakage hole as soon as possible is not always a right choice for fire fighters. Finally, it is suggested that reducing the heat flux into the tank, either at the liquid leakage stage or in vapor one, is key to the tank safety.     

储油条件下拱顶油罐的油气爆炸实验

为研究储油条件下拱顶油罐油气爆炸的发展过程,设计了中尺度拱顶油罐油气爆炸实验台架,并完成了储油条件下油罐油气爆炸试验。实验结果表明:储油条件下油气爆炸会导致罐顶破坏,超压发展分为多个阶段,并出现强烈的超压振荡和二次爆炸现象,最大超压由二次爆炸所产生;爆炸最大超压随着初始油气体积分数的降低而升高;在储油条件下,油罐油气爆炸后会诱导产生二次爆炸现象,第2次爆炸超压峰值和升压速率均远大于第1次爆炸的数值,且二次爆炸对外场的影响更加明显;火焰强度随时间的变化曲线具有2个明显的峰值,其形成原因分别为第1次爆炸和第2次爆炸。     

大气扩散计算流体力学模型综合评估方法研究

模型评估方法研究是模型研发工作的重要组成部分。基于科学性验证与统计性确认提出了大气扩散CFD模型的综合确认评估方法,通过示例的方式展示了方法的使用效果。综合确认评估方法可以提高模型筛选的速度,降低统计性评估对确认性试验数据的需求量,从总体上提高模型确认的效率。评估理论的研究有助于提高基于模型的大气扩散研究的准确性,也有利于高精度模型和试验的设计、开发与遴选。     

Quantitative risk assessment model of hazardous chemicals leakage and application

The hazardous chemical accidents remain a matter of major concern. However, there is a dearth of practical measures about the emergency management of hazardous chemicals leakage. Therefore, in order to provide more accurate management plan, quantitative risk assessment has become a critical issue in chemical industry. The main aim of this study is to quantify the risk of hazardous chemicals leakage, and take precautions against the accidents. In this study, a Fire-Explosion-Poisoning Quantitative Probability Model (FEPQPM) has been established. The paper introduced the probability analysis methods to analyze derivative accidents caused by hazardous chemicals leakage, established quantitative risk assessment models, and made acceptable risk level analysis. This model has been applied to quantitatively assess an enterprise’s storage tank at Changshou Chemical Industrial Distripark (CID) in Chongqing, China. Evaluation results are in line with the actual situation of the CID. It is shown that the probability of poisoning is very large, causing more economic loss than the other two types of accidents, and death toll of leakage accident increases over time, resulting in greater economic losses. The risk level of leakage accident involving poisoning is unacceptable.     

Pressure and temperature increase of LPG in a thermally coated pressure vessel exposed to fire: Experimental and model results

Damage caused by incidents with transport tanks with compressed liquified gas is amongst the most extreme that can be encountered with transport vessels. This is particularly the case with the Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion (BLEVE), which may occur if such a tank is exposed to fire for a prolonged period. Therefore, the local Dutch LPG transport sector adopted a thermally insulating tank coating as a ‘standard outfit’ for their tank trailers, with the aim to delay a BLEVE for a sufficiently long period for emergency services to take appropriate measures and for people near the accident location to be evacuated. On a European scale however, no consensus has been reached on the cost-benefit of such measures.With the current drive towards “greener” and renewable energy sources, this issue has regained attention with alternative fuels such as LNG, CNG and Hydrogen and a need was felt for (better) theoretical models and experimental data concerning the behavior of transport tanks carrying these substances.In this paper a new tank thermal (equilibrium) model is described to predict pressure and temperature behavior of a multi layered, thermally insulated tank containing a compressed liquified gas exposed to heat. Results are compared with data of three bonfire experiments, in which 3 m³ tanks, filled for ca. 50% with LPG were exposed to fire. A good match between modelled and experimental pressure and temperature evolution in time could be obtained using a constant value for the thermal conductivity of the insulation layer. The modelling showed that the thermal insulation value is crucial for an accurate prediction of these parameters as well as the opening time for a pressure safety valve. As relevant temperatures may cover a very wide range (from cryogenic in LNG-tanks to over 1000 °C in a fire) knowledge of the thermal (and physical) behavior of the insulating layer over a large temperature range is essential.The same holds for the behavior of the PRV when subjected to fire. Extreme temperatures may also lead to deviating behavior from what is expected based on the initial settings.     

泄漏孔高度对液氯槽罐车泄漏后果的影响研究

为研究液氯槽罐车在道路运输过程中,罐体泄漏孔高度对液氯泄漏扩散过程的影响,本文基于计算流体力学软件Fluent,建立不同高度泄漏孔对应的罐体气相、液相空间泄漏的理论模型,计算不同泄漏模型的泄漏量,研究不同风向、风速、泄漏孔径对氯气泄漏扩散过程的影响。结果表明:风向对2种泄漏模式的扩散范围影响不显著;风速较小时,气相空间泄漏的致命范围大于液相泄漏;风速较大时,液相空间泄漏的致命范围远远大于气相空间;同时,两者受风速的影响具有相似点,风速越大泄漏扩散相对稳定后的氯气浓度值越低;气相、液相泄漏模式的致命范围均随泄漏孔径的增大而增大。研究成果可为液氯槽罐车泄漏事故应急救援、应急处置提供依据。