Experimental Results From Heavy Gas Dispersions

Heavy gases in large quantities are used worldwide in various industries. Past incidents, such as the liquefied gas disaster in Viareggio (2009) have shown that these materials are difficult to handle in a safe manner. According to German administrative regulations regarding industrial accidents (StFV), plant operators with extended responsibilities must produce a report in which they verify that, in the event of an unintentional gas release, the surrounding area will not be aversely affected. Essential elements of this report are calculations of both the released mass flow and the gas dispersion. Using models such as the VDI guideline 3783 (state of the art in Germany) plant operators are able to predict the characteristics of likely gas dispersions. The presented experimental investigations were carried out at the BAM to better understand heavy gas dispersion with high gas concentrations in the air (≥ 1Vol.-%), as well as concentrations with approximately neutral density characteristics (≤ 3000ppm) in order to test the accuracy of the VDI guideline. The starting point for experimental trials was the heavy gas releases resulting from pipeline, vessel or standard gas bottle leaks, with mass flows of between 20 and 100 g/s. Investigations on the gas-phase release process focused on the unsteady mass flow associated with releases from standard gas bottles. The experimental results will be used as comparative parameters for future simulations. The goal of these simulations is to develop a model with which calculation of the unsteady mass flow, based on the material characteristics for any gas, is possible.