Numerical experimental design application in consequence analysis of ammonia leakage

Ammonia is a colorless gas, corrosive, and highly toxic. This compound can cause irreversible consequences for humans and the environment depending on the concentration. Currently, accidents involving ammonia leakage in industrial facilities are recurring. Thus, outlining contingency and mitigation strategies is crucial for the industry. In this work, we performed several simulations of ammonia leakage scenarios using the ALOHA (R) 5.4.7 software. Moreover, we propose a well-validated model with significant parameters to estimate the gas cloud volume for a range of environmental and leak conditions. The simplicity of this model facilitates its utilization and may enrich risk analysis and help in proposing adequate safety measures for specific atmospheric and leakage conditions.

Automated summary

Ammonia is a colorless, corrosive, and highly toxic gas that can have irreversible consequences for humans and the environment. Contingency and mitigation strategies are crucial for the industry due to recurring accidents involving ammonia leakage. This study performed simulations of ammonia leakage scenarios and proposed a validated model with significant parameters to estimate gas cloud volume, aiding in the development of appropriate safety measures for specific atmospheric and leakage conditions.