Multiphase Simulation of LNG Vapour Dispersion with Effect of Fog Formation

Abstract

LNG vapour released during spill events can generate fog due to condensation of atmospheric moisture in the cold vapour cloud. The presence of fog alters the buoyancy and dispersion behaviour of the vapour cloud, with important implications for hazard assessment. This study develops a multiphase computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model that simultaneously captures LNG vapour dispersion and the formation and transport of fog droplets.

The multiphase simulation framework accounts for the thermodynamic interactions between the cold LNG vapour, ambient air, and condensed water droplets during the dispersion process. The model enables investigation of how fog formation affects the density, buoyancy, and spreading behaviour of the LNG vapour cloud under different atmospheric conditions. Results demonstrate that fog formation has a significant effect on the predicted dispersion behaviour compared to single-phase vapour dispersion models, with implications for the accuracy of LNG hazard zone calculations. The study provides an improved modelling approach for LNG risk assessment that accounts for the complex multiphase physics of LNG spill scenarios.

@article{sun2020ate,
  title         = {Multiphase Simulation of LNG Vapour Dispersion with Effect of Fog Formation},
  author        = {Sun, Biao and Wong, Joshua and Wadnerkar, Divyamaan and Utikar, Ranjeet P.
                  and Pareek, Vishnu K. and Guo, Kaihua},
  year          = 2020,
  journal       = {Applied Thermal Engineering},
  publisher     = {Elsevier},
  volume        = 166,
  pages         = 114671,
  doi           = {10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2019.114671},
  issn          = 13594311,
  url           = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1359431119325050}
}