Potential for BLEVE associated with marine LNG vessel fires

Area of Science:

• Chemical Engineering
• Risk Analysis
• Marine Safety

Background:

• Recent studies have excluded Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion (BLEVE) hazards for liquefied natural gas (LNG) marine vessels.
• A recent BLEVE-like event involving an LNG truck in Spain has raised questions about this exclusion.
• There is a need to re-evaluate the potential for BLEVE events in LNG marine transport.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the physical factors of the Spanish LNG truck BLEVE-like event.
• To assess the likelihood of BLEVE events in marine LNG vessels.
• To determine if current designs adequately mitigate BLEVE risks.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of physical factors contributing to the Spanish LNG truck incident.
• Comparison of LNG truck tank design features with marine LNG vessel tank designs.
• Thermodynamic modeling to evaluate pressure build-up in marine LNG tanks under thermal stress.

Main Results:

• The Spanish LNG truck event exhibited characteristics of a classical BLEVE, indicating LNG does not inherently prevent such events.
• US LNG trucks possess design features offering greater safety compared to some international designs.
• While direct thermal input to marine LNG inner tanks is limited by physical barriers, a BLEVE of significant scale is unlikely due to tank design limitations.

Conclusions:

• Liquefied natural gas (LNG) can undergo BLEVE-like events, as evidenced by the Spanish truck incident.
• Marine LNG vessels, due to their specific tank designs and protective barriers, are unlikely to experience large-scale BLEVE events as hypothesized in some literature.
• Further research into specific failure scenarios and mitigation strategies for marine LNG transport remains valuable.