Modeling of Ammonia Emission in the Petrochemical Industry

Abstract

Background: Ammonia is a commonly used chemical in the process industries. Chemical leakage is one of the main problems threatening the staff, facilities, and the environment in the process industries. Objectives: The aim of this study was to model the emission of ammonia and its consequences in the petrochemical industry. Methods: In this study, three accident scenarios of the most probable ones were chosen, including toxic vapor cloud, jet fire, and boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion (BLEVE). Then, the scenario modeling was done using areal locations of hazardous atmospheres (ALOHA) software. Results: In the first scenario, the total released ammonia is 81,316 kg. The concentration of ammonia toxic vapor is greater than 1,100 ppm (AEGL-3 region) at a distance of 1 km, which might cause death in 60 seconds. The overpressure never exceeds 3.5 psi; thus, there is no possibility of serious injury or destruction of buildings. In the third scenario, the thermal radiation of BLEVE is greater than 10 kW/m 2 at a distance of 376 m, which is potentially lethal within 60 seconds. Conclusions: One of the main risks in petrochemical companies is the leakage of ammonia. The toxicity of ammonia is the most significant threat to people. The overpressure of vapor cloud explosion does not cause serious injury or of building destruction. The thermal radiation from jet fire and fireball has no effect on the city while it may cause death to the staff within 60 seconds. Thus, safety precautions should be considered to prevent the consequences of leakage accidents.

Emission rates, ALOHA simulation and Box-Behnken design of accidental releases in butyl acrylate tank - case study

“…1(c) presents the results of the blast area of a VCE. The red zone in the figure indicates an 8.0 psi (55.15 kPa) overpressure which was never exceeded; the orange zone was as large as 141 m where the overpressure was 3.5 psi (24.13 kPa) (Abbaslou and Karimi, 2019). The yellow zone was as large as 210 m where the overpressure was 1.0 psi (6.89 kPa).…”

Safety Assessment of the Ammonia Bunkering Process in the Maritime Sector: A Review

“…Figure 6 presents a computational algorithm and procedure of risk assessment. According to typical studies on the modeling of ammonia leakage and release [64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76][77], the common algorithmic diagram for the computational analysis of ammonia leakage is shown in Figure 5, and the computational algorithm and procedure are presented in Figure 6. The six steps required to use computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for the modeling and consequence analysis of ammonia leakage or accidents include the following:…”

“…The algorithm in Figure 7 below describes a procedure for risk analysis using riskbased methods similar to those seen in [78][79][80][81][82][83]. According to typical studies on the modeling of ammonia leakage and release [64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76][77], the common algorithmic diagram for the computational analysis of ammonia leakage is shown in Figure 5, and the computational algorithm and procedure are presented in Figure 6. The six steps required to use computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for the modeling and consequence analysis of ammonia leakage or accidents include the following: (i) Identify the simulation case: This step is to clarify the purpose of the simulation and which leakage/release case will be addressed.…”

Utilizing Wind Rose Information for the Prediction of Ammonia Migration

“…In addition, its depending on the season and location, wind patterns might change significantly. Sea breezes frequently influence wind direction in coastal regions like Bintulu, while storms and pressure systems can have an impact on wind speed (Alizadeh et al, 2014;Abbaslou, 2019). The movement and effects of ammonia in a particular area can be predicted using a wind rise and the Aloha software (see table 2 and table 3), the computational model for forecasting chemical emissions.…”