Fireball modeling and thermal hazards analysis of leaked 1,1-difluoroethane in fluorine chemical industry based on FDS

To better understand the boiling liquid expanding vapor explosions (BLEVE) risk in the fluorine chemical industry, the detailed BLEVE properties of 1,1-difluoroethane were investigated based on fire dynamics simulator code of computational fluid dynamics in this work. The BLEVE fireball was modeled using appropriate numerical models and parameters. The analysis was developed to predict the fireball hazard especially the thermal radiation of 1,1-difluoroethane. The empirical equations of the fireball diameter, height, and duration are modified according to the simulation results. Fireballs have extremely high temperatures and cause strong thermal radiation to the surroundings. In the fluorine chemical industry, the 1,1-difluoroethane fireball can form the thermal radiation of more than 37.5 kW m(-2)in the range of 65 m, resulting in high death probability. In addition, the domino effect manifestation of toxic gases inhalation and environmental wind effect on the fireball are also discussed. The results show that the simulation method is accurate and can be used for evaluating the BLEVE scenarios and analyzing the impact on the fluorine chemical facility.

Automated summary

This study investigated the detailed properties of 1,1-difluoroethane in BLEVE incidents in the fluorine chemical industry using computational fluid dynamics. The analysis focused on predicting fireball hazards and modifying empirical equations based on simulation results. The study concluded that the simulation method is accurate for evaluating BLEVE scenarios and their impact on chemical facilities.