Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

LNG spill fire tests on water: an overview of the results

Journal Article · · Am. Gas Assoc., Oper. Sect., Proc.; (United States)
OSTI ID:6929366

LNG spill and ignition tests conducted by Arthur D. Little, Inc., and the US Navy at the Naval Weapons Center clearly demonstrated that vapor fires have a higher thermal-radiation emissivity than pool fires on water; however, the overall hazard may be comparable to that of a pool fire because the flame of a vapor-cloud fire is relatively low in height. The tests involved spilling 800-1450 gal (3-5.5 m/sup 3/) of LNG on water for a duration of 30-250 s, igniting either the LNG or the resulting vapor cloud, and measuring the thermal radiation with wide- and narrow-angle radiometers and a spectrometer. Although the total thermal radiation emanating from the surface area averaged 70,000 Btu/hr-ft/sup 2/ (220 kW/m/sup 2/) - over twice that observed for land-based LNG fires - much of the emissivity was readily absorbed by the atmosphere. The effective flame temperature of the LNG fires reached 2240/sup 0/F (1500 K).

OSTI ID:
6929366
Journal Information:
Am. Gas Assoc., Oper. Sect., Proc.; (United States), Journal Name: Am. Gas Assoc., Oper. Sect., Proc.; (United States); ISSN POAGA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English