Numerical simulation of the mitigating effects of an LNG vapor fence
摘要
FEM3A, a fully three-dimensional numerical model for simulating the atmospheric dispersion of heavy gases involving complex geometry, has been used to investigate the mitigating effects of a vapor fence for LNG storage areas. In this paper, a brief description of the numerical model used to perform such calculations is given, the problem being simulated is described, and an intercomparison among the results from numerical simulations (with and without the vapor fence) and field data (with vapor fence) is made. The numerical results indicate that, with the present fence configuration, the maximum concentration on the cloud centerline was reduced by a factor of two or more within 250 m behind the fence, and the downwind distance to the 2.5% concentration was reduced from 365 m to 230 m. However, a vapor fence could also cause the vapor cloud to linger considerably longer in the source area, thus increasing the potential for ignition and combustion within the vapor fence and the area nearby over time. 8 refs., 10 figs.