Numerical simulation of factors affecting safety distance of large crude oil storage tanks

Abstract

With the large-scaling and intensification of crude oil reserves, storage tanks are also developed in the direction of large capacity. Hence, it is easy to trigger a chain fire effect in the tank farm once a fire occurs, causing huge economic losses and even casualties. In order to reasonably design the safety distance of large crude oil storage tanks and reduce the heat radiation effect of the firing tank on the adjacent tanks, the fire of the storage tank was numerically simulated with the CFD technology. Meanwhile, the influence of the three factors, including the wind speed, spray intensity and oil burning rate, on the safety distance of large crude oil storage tanks were analyzed by controlling a single variable and designing the orthogonal working conditions. The results show that the three factors ranking in a decreasing order of influence are the spray intensity, wind speed and oil burning rate successively. To reduce the safety distance between the storage tanks, it is recommended to increase the spray intensity of cooling water. Thereby, the research results could provide guidance for the layout design of crude oil reserves.

Keywords

• large crude oil storage tank
• firing tank
• adjacent tank
• heat radiation
• safety distance
• numerical simulation
• orthogonal analysis