Simulation of the LPG Leakage and Dispersion Process to the Factory Environment Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)

Abstract

Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is a hydrocarbon gas that exists in liquefied form as an energy-saving, clean, convenient fuel, it has been widely used in civil and industrial applications such as oil fields, gas and oil industry. This present work considers the flammable gas release and dispersion safety evaluation caused by the LPG (50 % propane, 50 % n-butane) leakage and diffusion from an accidentally punctured pipe (with the diameters varies from 1-3 mm) during the operation of a 33 m3 LPG tank. Process equipment during a puncture can swiftly release hazardous compounds in sufficient quantities to distribute throughout a working and local area in clouds. LPG leakage diffusion model is created using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method, and the characteristics of LPG dispersion and the various of LPG release rate - dispersed by natural wind in an open area, with wind speeds range of 1.0 – 10.0 m/s corresponding to different atmospheric stability classes from A to F are computed and simulated. The result shows that wind speeds have a considerable impact on the spread of LPG from the release site to different distances in the domain. The maximum LPG concentration distribution is 101.71 ppm at 1 m/s wind velocity, while the minimum is 3.12 ppm at 10 m/s wind velocity. This suggests that the dispersion of LPG in the environment is minimal, accounting for roughly 0.01% of its total volume, which implies that LPG stations are not at significant risk in the event of a small puncture ranging from 1 to 3 mm in diameter. In the simulation work, the realizable k-e model is utilised for the turbulence model. This study can provide guidance to authorities to comply with fire protection regulations, firefighting and prevention, and emergency response measures, which can ensure the safety of the factory operating in particular and neighbouring factories in the industrial area in general.