Numerical analysis of toxic cloud generation and dispersion: A case study of the ethylene oxide spill

The present study examined the accidental spill of ethylene oxide, and a sensitivity analysis of the corresponding consequences was conducted using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). A validation of the gas dispersion CFD model against the experimental data sets included in the model evaluation protocol (MEP) was performed. The effect of the variability of the wind velocity on the extension of the hazardous areas and pool evaporation characteristics was evaluated. Additionally, the mitigation effects of the dike walls surrounding a spill were discussed. CFD simulation results have shown that the mitigation effect of dike walls is determined by their influence on both gas dispersion and pool evaporation and depends strongly on wind velocity in terms of toxic impact distances.