Analysis of oil vapor leakage from the accidental hole in the tank wall based on numerical simulations and wind tunnel experiments

• Published in: Energy sources. Part A, Recovery, utilization, and environmental effects Recovery, utilization, and environmental effects, 2023-10, Vol.45 (4), p.11535-11552
• Main Authors: Zhang, Cheng, Huang, Weiqiu, Zhou, Juan, He, Zhanyou, Li, Xufei, Wang, Xinya, Xu, Xue, Ge, Yuqian, Zhou, Ning
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accidental hole leakage; mass transfer mechanism; numerical simulation; oil vapor diffusion; wind tunnel experiment
• ISSN: 1556-7036; 1556-7230
• DOI: 10.1080/15567036.2023.2261893

Tanks have been widely used for oil storage in the petroleum industry. However, there exists deterioration or damage to the tank walls. The leakage and diffusion of oil vapor from the accidental hole in the tank wall can cause serious hazards. With the increasing emphasis on safety and environmental protection, it is more significant to study the microscopic mass transfer mechanism of oil vapor. Based on the wind tunnel experiments and simulations, the model of oil vapor leakage and diffusion from the accidental hole was established and verified. The influence of wind speed and hole diameter was investigated, and the actual scene of fire dike and tank group was also considered. Results show that the influence of wind speed and hole diameter on the overall distribution of velocity and pressure is not obvious, and the influence on the backflow below the accidental hole is pronounced, with the variation of velocity up to 1.91 times at the center of backflow. The oil vapor mass below the accidental hole and the boundary emission outside the fire dike deserve intense attention. When the wind speed is 2 m∙s −1 and the radius is 1.0 m, the concentration of the oil vapor mass increases to the explosion limit. When the wind speed is between 2 m∙s −1 and 4 m∙s −1 and the hole radius is no less than 0.5 m, the boundary emission exceeds the pollution standard. The safety and environmental concerns are highly prominent when the radius of accidental hole is no less than 0.5 m at the wind speed no more thsan 4 m∙s −1 . The results further reveal the migration mechanism of oil vapor and provide a basic reference for the safety and environmental protection of oil depots.