On pool spreading around tanks: Geometrical considerations

The paper discusses a straightforward approach for evaluating the distance covered by a spreading liquid pool, when the axisymmetric hypothesis is no longer valid. This distance is evaluated by a three-steps methodology: the pre-processing of input data (bund radius, if present, and radial velocity); the simulation of pool spreading by a model based on the axisymmetric hypothesis; and the post-processing of results. The paper reports some geometrical correlations to pre- and post-process the data, with regard to four case-studies. Some numerical examples are also presented to prove that the pre-processed input data and post-processed results differ from those based on the axisymmetric hypothesis. Finally, we validate our modeling approach with the experimental data of Cronin and Evans [P.S. Cronin, J.A. Evans, A series of experiments to study the spreading of liquid pools with different bund arrangements, HSE Contract Research Report 405/2002, Advantica Technologies Limited, 2002].