Modeling the blanketing and warming effect of high expansion foam used for LNG vapor risk mitigation

Abstract

Natural Gas is a cleaner energy when compared to other sources like oil or coal. Its consumption has been drastically increasing over the past few years and is projected to increase further. Liquefying natural gas is an effective way of easily storing and transporting it because of the high ratio of liquid to vapor densities. However, a leak of liquefied natural gas (LNG) can result in the formation of a huge vapor cloud, which poses a potential risk. This cryogenic vapor cloud has the potential to ignite and can migrate downwind near ground level because of a density greater than air. NFPA recommends the use of high expansion foam to mitigate the vapor hazard due to LNG. The primary objective of this paper is to study the effects of heat transfer mechanisms like convection and radiation on foam breakage to be able to accurately quantify the amount of foam required to mitigate the vapor risk of LNG spills.