LNG safety
Spilled LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) in a large scale can produce very cold vapour which in general will remain heavier than air until it absorbs sufficient heat from surrounding surfaces and air. If the cold vapour forms a flammable heavier-than-air fuel-air cloud, it may find an ignition source near the ground and cause an Unconfined Vapour Cloud Explosion (UVCE) during the dispersion process. GexCon can perform relevant studies based on FLACS, exemplified by:
- Simulate evaporation from LNG in a specified pool and subsequent dispersion of fuel in/into a realistic geometry. The FLACS geometry may be imported from a CAD model, if available.
- Investigate the effect of different factors on the evaporation, among others the size and the position of the pool(s), the temperature and the heat conducting characteristics of the surface containing the pool, the solar radiation, the wind direction and speed.
- Determine effects of mitigating measures (e.g. insulating the ground underneath the pool).
- Simulate explosions in the flammable fuel-air cloud, accounting for possible equipment, structure and piping being engulfed by the cloud.
The figure below is an example where the extent of the flammable part of the fuel-air cloud is shown for evaporation from spilled LNG within a dike, under the influence of wind. Note that the flammable cloud extends several hundred meters downstream. A paper describing this particular study can be downloaded here (Won & Salvesen).
Contact
Lars Rogstadkjernet
Phone no: +47 55 57 43 22
Email: larsr(at)gexcon.com
