Flame characteristics and heat flux profile of a tank surface caused by horizontal gas leak jet fire impingement

Jet fire accidents caused by leaks in gas pipelines or gas tanks often occur, which may trigger a domino effect. The present work experimentally investigated the characteristics and heat flux profile of flames on a tank surface, with different leak hole-tank spacing and fuel initial velocity. The results show that, for any given leak hole diameter, the height and width of the impingement flame increase with an increasing heat release rate, whereas they decrease with an increase in the leak hole-tank spacing. The impingement flame height correlated well with the characteristic length Lm, which was used in free jet fires. Based on the balance of the momentum flux to the buoyancy flux of the horizontal jet fire, a new characteristic length scale and a dimensionless heat release rate was proposed. Meanwhile, some of the numerical results were also analyzed and the non-dimensional functional correlation for the flame width of the impinging area was proposed with the fire heat release rate and flame Froude number Frf. Finally, considering the effect of the unburned portion of the fuel with jet fire impinging the tank, a new correlation was proposed to describe the heat flux and temperature profile of the tank surface.

Automated summary

This study experimentally investigated the characteristics and heat flux distribution of flames in jet fire accidents caused by leaks in gas pipelines or gas tanks. The results indicate that the leak hole-tank spacing and fuel initial velocity have an impact on the height and width of the impingement flame. A new characteristic length scale and dimensionless heat release rate were proposed based on the balance of momentum flux and buoyancy flux.