Spill-over characteristics of peroxy-fuels: Two-phase CFD investigations

• Two-phase CFD model is developed for the prediction of dispersion characteristics of peroxy-fuels.
• The developed model is validated against standard experimental data on LNG spills.
• The predicted dispersion characteristics depend on overflow Reynolds number (Re).
• Depending on LFL the diameter and height of vapour cloud are predicted.
• Dispersion of a wide range of fuels can be predicted for similar Reynolds numbers.

Two-phase CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) model for characterising the spill-over/dispersion of peroxy-fuels is presented. The model is independent of type and burning rate of the spilled/dispersed fuel and considers only overflow Reynolds number (Re) to characterise the spill/dispersion behaviour. Additional simulations are performed for LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) dispersion and it is found that the model can be used for different fuels within a defined range of Re. Different scenarios with Re = 100 to 3 × 105 are investigated covering a wide range of mass flow rates, opening sizes and viscosities. Depending on Lower Flammability Limits (LFL) of the fuels spill/dispersion (vapour cloud) diameters (DCFD) and heights (hCFD) are predicted. A generalised correlation between DCFD and Re is established to predict the dispersion occurring at varying scales. The model is validated by: (1) conducting an extensive grid independent study; (2) comparing the results with the existing analytical methods and (3) comparing against the standard field test data on LNG dispersions.

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