A correlation developed by the authors for prediction of hazardous area extension due to fugitive emissions is described in this work. The correlation is based on computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulation data. The CFD simulation setups were obtained from a Computational Design of Experiments. The CFD model has been validated experimentally. The transport properties, orifice size, temperature, pressure, gas molar mass, and lower explosive limit (LEL) were varied in a range of practical interest using the statistical Technique Latin hypercube to spread the simulation setups. The effect of each variable on hazardous area extension was obtained from the CFD results leading to an analytical correlation for practical use in estimating the extension of the hazardous area. The results showed that the extension of hazardous area in still ambient is merely a function of the leaking gas molar flow rate and gas volume fraction at LEL. The results from the correlation described in this work were compared to results from correlations existing in the literature.
Industrially flammable gases are stored and transported in the form of pressurized liquid. The occurrence of leaks from pressurized flammable liquids in vessels or pipes may cause a two‐phase release, containing a mixture of liquid droplets and vapour of flammable substances. This phenomenon, called flashing, occurs when a superheated liquid comes into a lower pressure environment. The study and understanding of this type of release are of fundamental importance for the hazardous area classification that is addressed by the IEC 60079‐10‐1 standard, which recommends the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for the calculation of a hazardous area. This work uses CFD to predict the hazardous area extent and volume that resulted from the complex two‐phase release, which had not been addressed previously in other literature. The influence of wind and release conditions on the area classification is analyzed. The CFD results agree with the available experimental data. A new parameter as a function of the volume and extent of the jet is proposed for hazardous area classification.
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