LPG Cars in a Car Park Environment-How to Make It Safe

Alternative and innovative fuel types are being introduced to power cars. These include liquified petroleum gas (LPG) gas and hydrogen energy sources. However, they also introduce new hazards, requiring revised thinking with respect to safety within car parking environments. One of the most signific...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2019-03, Vol.16 (6), p.1062
Main Author: Brzezińska, Dorota
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accidents
Automobiles
Computer Simulation
Confined spaces
Experiments
Fires
Flammability
Flammable gases
Fluid dynamics
Fluid flow
Gases
Liquefied petroleum gas
LPG
Nozzles
Parking facilities
Parks & recreation areas
Petroleum
Pollutants
Propane
Risk levels
Safety
Software
Sprinklers
Tunnels
Vehicles
Velocity
Ventilation
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Summary:Alternative and innovative fuel types are being introduced to power cars. These include liquified petroleum gas (LPG) gas and hydrogen energy sources. However, they also introduce new hazards, requiring revised thinking with respect to safety within car parking environments. One of the most significant dangers is accidental gas release from a car's system, especially in underground car parks. Jet fan systems are widely used for ventilation of such enclosures, but currently their design is most often based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) according to computer simulations that may not be relevant for such new fuels. This paper presents the results of full-scale tests which demonstrate the operational factors of jet fan ventilation systems, and assesses the conditions which can occur in a car park when a small volume of LPG is released. On the basis of measurements undertaken, Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) software was validated against the air velocity flows and LPG gas dispersion patterns. Finally, the simulations were used to demonstrate the effectiveness of systems in an actual car park, in the case of an accidental LPG car tank release.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph16061062