Safe Firefighting Distances Using FDS and ALOHA for Oil Tank Fires
Ensuring firefighter safety during oil tank fires is paramount, given the substantial risks posed by thermal radiation. This study employs both the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) and Areal Locations of Hazardous Atmospheres (ALOHA) software to simulate a severe oil tank fire scenario at the Zhushan B...
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MDPI AG
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Fire |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/7/12/445 |
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| author | Ming-Chuan Hung Ching-Yuan Lin Gary Li-Kai Hsiao |
| author_facet | Ming-Chuan Hung Ching-Yuan Lin Gary Li-Kai Hsiao |
| author_sort | Ming-Chuan Hung |
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| description | Ensuring firefighter safety during oil tank fires is paramount, given the substantial risks posed by thermal radiation. This study employs both the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) and Areal Locations of Hazardous Atmospheres (ALOHA) software to simulate a severe oil tank fire scenario at the Zhushan Branch Power Plant, where two heavy oil tanks and multiple light oil tanks are located. The simulation framework divides the combustion scenario into 22.4 million grids with a grid size of 0.5 m, allowing a fine-resolution assessment of thermal radiation. Assuming a worst-case scenario involving n-Heptane combustion, the FDS simulation calculates essential parameters, including temperature, velocity, and soot distribution fields, and suggests a minimum safe firefighting distance of 22 m (equivalent to one tank diameter, 1D) for those equipped with personal protective equipment when exposed to a 5 kW/m<sup>2</sup> heat flux. Meanwhile, ALOHA modeling extends the safety assessment, recommending a downwind safety distance of 62 m (approximately 2D) to establish a preliminary exclusion zone, crucial in early emergency response when data may be incomplete. Additionally, a grid sensitivity analysis was conducted to validate the accuracy of the numerical results. This study underscores the importance of coupling FDS and ALOHA outputs to develop a balanced, adaptive approach to firefighter safety, optimizing response protocols for high-risk environments. The results provide essential guidance for establishing safety zones, advancing standards within fire protection and emergency response, and supporting strategy development for large-scale oil and petrochemical storage facilities. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4bdecb3dc1834a2fb73dd4431a083fe9 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2571-6255 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Fire |
| spelling | doaj-art-4bdecb3dc1834a2fb73dd4431a083fe92025-08-20T02:00:38ZengMDPI AGFire2571-62552024-11-0171244510.3390/fire7120445Safe Firefighting Distances Using FDS and ALOHA for Oil Tank FiresMing-Chuan Hung0Ching-Yuan Lin1Gary Li-Kai Hsiao2Department of Architecture, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106335, TaiwanDepartment of Architecture, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106335, TaiwanDepartment of Disaster Management, Taiwan Police College, Taipei 11696, TaiwanEnsuring firefighter safety during oil tank fires is paramount, given the substantial risks posed by thermal radiation. This study employs both the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) and Areal Locations of Hazardous Atmospheres (ALOHA) software to simulate a severe oil tank fire scenario at the Zhushan Branch Power Plant, where two heavy oil tanks and multiple light oil tanks are located. The simulation framework divides the combustion scenario into 22.4 million grids with a grid size of 0.5 m, allowing a fine-resolution assessment of thermal radiation. Assuming a worst-case scenario involving n-Heptane combustion, the FDS simulation calculates essential parameters, including temperature, velocity, and soot distribution fields, and suggests a minimum safe firefighting distance of 22 m (equivalent to one tank diameter, 1D) for those equipped with personal protective equipment when exposed to a 5 kW/m<sup>2</sup> heat flux. Meanwhile, ALOHA modeling extends the safety assessment, recommending a downwind safety distance of 62 m (approximately 2D) to establish a preliminary exclusion zone, crucial in early emergency response when data may be incomplete. Additionally, a grid sensitivity analysis was conducted to validate the accuracy of the numerical results. This study underscores the importance of coupling FDS and ALOHA outputs to develop a balanced, adaptive approach to firefighter safety, optimizing response protocols for high-risk environments. The results provide essential guidance for establishing safety zones, advancing standards within fire protection and emergency response, and supporting strategy development for large-scale oil and petrochemical storage facilities.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/7/12/445FDSALOHAtank firesafe firefighting distancefirefighter safety |
| spellingShingle | Ming-Chuan Hung Ching-Yuan Lin Gary Li-Kai Hsiao Safe Firefighting Distances Using FDS and ALOHA for Oil Tank Fires Fire FDS ALOHA tank fire safe firefighting distance firefighter safety |
| title | Safe Firefighting Distances Using FDS and ALOHA for Oil Tank Fires |
| title_full | Safe Firefighting Distances Using FDS and ALOHA for Oil Tank Fires |
| title_fullStr | Safe Firefighting Distances Using FDS and ALOHA for Oil Tank Fires |
| title_full_unstemmed | Safe Firefighting Distances Using FDS and ALOHA for Oil Tank Fires |
| title_short | Safe Firefighting Distances Using FDS and ALOHA for Oil Tank Fires |
| title_sort | safe firefighting distances using fds and aloha for oil tank fires |
| topic | FDS ALOHA tank fire safe firefighting distance firefighter safety |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/7/12/445 |
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