Risk assessment of ammonia bunkering operations: Perspectives on different release scales

Area of Science:

• Marine Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Environmental Safety

Background:

• Ammonia is a promising alternative marine fuel for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• Ammonia's toxicity and corrosivity necessitate thorough risk assessments for safe handling and bunkering operations.
• Evaluating operational risks across various release scales is crucial for mitigating potential hazards.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the operational risks associated with ammonia bunkering across small, medium, and large release scenarios.
• To identify the most significant factors influencing ammonia release dispersion and potential impact.
• To provide data-driven insights for enhancing the safety protocols in ammonia bunkering.

Main Methods:

• Simulating ammonia releases at different scales (small, medium, large).
• Analyzing changes in cloud footprints and lethality footprints based on release size.
• Performing sensitivity analyses on key operational and meteorological factors, including wind speed and hose diameter.

Main Results:

• Scaling releases from small to medium increases changes in cloud footprints at lower gas concentrations.
• Transitioning from medium to large releases significantly alters cloud footprints at higher concentrations and increases lethality footprints.
• Wind speed is the dominant factor for small/medium releases, while hose diameter is critical for large releases.

Conclusions:

• The study highlights the differential impact of release scale on ammonia dispersion and risk.
• Sensitivity analysis reveals wind speed and hose diameter as critical control points for managing ammonia bunkering risks.
• Findings offer valuable insights for developing robust risk assessment criteria and safety measures for ammonia marine fuel.