Numerical experimental design application in consequence analysis of ammonia leakage

Abstract

Ammonia is a colorless gas, corrosive, and highly toxic. This compound can cause irreversible consequences for humans and the environment depending on the concentration. Currently, accidents involving ammonia leakage in industrial facilities are recurring. Thus, outlining contingency and mitigation strategies is crucial for the industry. In this work, we performed several simulations of ammonia leakage scenarios using the ALOHA® 5.4.7 software. Moreover, we propose a well-validated model with significant parameters to estimate the gas cloud volume for a range of environmental and leak conditions. The simplicity of this model facilitates its utilization and may enrich risk analysis and help in proposing adequate safety measures for specific atmospheric and leakage conditions.

Keywords

• Response surface
• Predictive model
• Accident risk
• Environmental impact
• Gas dispersion