Consequence Analysis of Accidental LNG Release on the Collided Structure of 500 cbm LNG Bunkering Ship

Abstract

The growing demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled ships necessitates the establishment of an LNG bunkering facility. Ship-to-ship (STS) is one of the most practical forms of LNG bunkering systems. Although there are benefits to the LNG bunkering of ships, risk and safety issues are a concern due to the volatile cargo. Ship collision could result in accidental LNG release. The purpose of this study was to build LNG leakage scenarios, establish critical zones based on gas concentrations, and estimate the temperature reduction in a bunkering ship’s structure resulting from the use of cryogenic fluid. The condition of a target ship’s structure, both intact and when damaged due to collision, was considered. Leak size, leak direction, leak position, release rate, and reservoir pressure were included as leak parameters, and environmental parameters, such as the wind direction, wind speed, and ambient temperature, were also included. The release duration was set based on the shutdown duration of the emergency shutdown valve (ESD). A total of 72 leakage scenarios were generated for the main CFD analysis. Convergence tests were conducted to determine the appropriate grid and iteration numbers for a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. The gas dispersion characteristics and the cryogenic flow impact on the LNG bunkering ship’s structure are discussed through a parametric study.

A Comprehensive Review of the Establishment of Safety Zones and Quantitative Risk Analysis during Ship-to-Ship LNG Bunkering

“…An alternative approach is to employ CFD/simulation software for explosive analysis and research. The CFD methodology has made significant advancements in recent years, enabling the accurate prediction of complex VCE [56].…”

Ship Collision Risk Assessment

“…The Special Issue, 'Ship Collision Risk Assessment', introduces 12 papers which include newly developed approaches to reduce the risk to a ship in the fields of the material, structural capacity/layout, avoidance, navigation/algorithms, etc. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12].…”

“…Therefore, a leak of gas from a collided structure should be investigated to prevent sequential accidents such as fire, explosion, a weak structure, etc. Nubli et al [3] performed a consequence analysis of the gas leak from a collision-induced cracked structure of an LNG bunkering ship considering various damage scenarios. Based on gas-dispersion simulations, they identified the hazardous parameters of gas release from the collision.…”