Preliminary analysis of RPT explosions observed in the LLNL/NWC LNG spill tests

Conference · Sat May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1982

OSTI ID:5431979

McRae, T G

When liquefied natural gas (LNG) is spilled and allowed to vaporize, there is some danger that explosions may occur if conditions are right for detonation. In addition to these conventional chemical explosions, there is another kind of explosion which may also occur, one resulting not from chemically driven detonation, but from rapid phase transitions (RPTs) in the vaporizing LNG. This paper presents a preliminary analysis of RPT explosions that occurred during the Burro and Coyote series of LNG spill tests. Results indicate that: (1) Large-scale RPT explosions appear to fall into two different regimes - (a) Early RPTS - close to the spill point, primarily underwater and (b) Delayed RPTs - near edge of LNG pool, at surface; (2) The occurrence of RPTs appears to be inhibited by colder water temperatures; (3) The probability of early RPTs appears to be greater as the depth of penetration into the water increases; (4) Large-scale spills produce early RPTs at compositions well outside the Enger-Hartman envelope for small-scale spills; and (5) The magnitude of early RPTs increases dramatically at higher spill rates.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 5431979
• Report Number(s): UCRL-87564; CONF-820367-1; ON: DE82016003
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
030800* -- Natural Gas-- Environmental Aspects
033000 -- Natural Gas-- Properties & Composition
520200 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
ENERGY SOURCES
EXPLOSIONS
FIELD TESTS
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GAS SPILLS
GASES
LIQUEFIED GASES
LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS
NATURAL GAS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
SAMPLING
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
TEST FACILITIES
TESTING