LNG Model Evaluation Protocol (MEP)

This presentation is part of the 2022 FLUG Meeting.

Presentation recording request

Fill in the form below to access the presentation recording.

About the presentation

Title: LNG Model Evaluation Protocol (MEP)

Every LNG project that is proposed to be built, expanded or significantly modified needs to meet the siting requirements of the applicable regulations, which aim at ensuring the safety of the public and public property in the event of accidents within the LNG plant.

In order to quantify the hazard footprints for potential accident scenarios (such as flammable vapor dispersion, pool and jet fires, vapor cloud explosions, etc.), computational tools must be used. Given the multiplicity of modeling tools available to perform siting studies, regulators are often faced with potentially conflicting results and need to be able to understand which results they can trust. For this reason, a Model Evaluation Protocol (MEP) was developed in 2007 to allow computational tools for vapor dispersion modeling to be reviewed. This protocol was then successfully applied to two software packages (Phast and FLACS-CFD), which were found acceptable for LNG vapor dispersion modeling under US federal regulations.

The 2007 MEP, however, is very limited in scope: in fact, it only addresses vapor dispersion modeling and, more specifically, only from atmospheric releases (e.g., vapors from a liquid spill onto the ground). This means that there are currently no established protocols to evaluate models to simulate hazards such as the flammable or toxic dispersion of a vapor cloud from a pressurized release (e.g., a pipe breach), the overpressures generated by a vapor cloud explosion, etc.

Blue Engineering and Consulting and the Gas Technology Institute are collaborating on a DOT-PHMSA sponsored research project to develop a new set of Model Evaluation Protocols, that will allow the review of modeling tools for each of the above-referenced hazards. The new MEPs will greatly increase the confidence of authorities as well as the public, by defining which models may be used and under which limitations, and what validation factors need to be applied depending on the type of hazards being evaluated.

As of now, MEPs have been completed for flammable and toxic dispersion, and the MEP for source term models is nearing completion. The presentation will provide a summary of the completed MEPs and an outlook towards the remaining work.

About the speaker

Dr Filippo Gavelli, P.E., Consultant @ Blue Engineering and Consulting Company

Connect on LinkedIn

Dr Filippo Gavelli is a Consultant with Blue Engineering and Consulting, where he focuses on hazard analyses and risk assessments for LNG facilities.  He has over 25 years of experience with CFD modeling, including vapor cloud dispersion, pool and jet fires, and vapor cloud explosions.

Dr Gavelli was previously the Head of Dispersion Consulting at Gexcon US and was closely involved with the FLACS-CFD model validation effort for the U.S. Department of Transportation. He has been a member of the NFPA 59A committee for 15 years and has published several papers on the modeling of gas dispersion and vapor cloud explosions using FLACS-CFD.

About FLUG Meeting

FLACS-CFD User Group (FLUG) provides an opportunity for Gexcon and users of FLACS-CFD to share updates, insights, and experiences.

It consists of engaging case study presentations and the latest information on FLACS-CFD software research and development.

FLUG has played an integral role in the development of Gexcon’s industry-leading software, which represents more than 40 years of extensive and unrivalled modelling and validation work.