Help: What should be done when there is a massive and uncontrolled leak from a tank storing liquefied flammable gases?
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To improve the company’s emergency response plans, it is now necessary to add measures for large-scale leaks from liquefied flammable gas tanks (difluoromethane)； And there is no way to handle emergencies in the event of a leak ； I need help, thank you!
1. If there is a leak in the pipeline at the bottom of the tank, water can be added to that pipeline to replace the material that is leaking. The evaporation of the leaked substance absorbs a large amount of heat, causing the water to freeze and thus seal off the leak on its own. 2. If there is a leak at the top, try to ignite it in order to cool the tank and prevent an explosion. The main issue is that this stuff is insoluble in water, so it can’t be diluted to a large extent. This is just my personal opinion, for reference only
Thank you! It seems feasible to do this for top leaks; I’m not sure if it works for bottom leaks ； The pressure of the material itself is quite high, exceeding 1.0 Mpa. I wonder if water can be sprayed at the leak site to cause it to freeze Welcome, experts, to share some suggestions; thank you!
Actually, it’s very important to carry out proper equipment maintenance. Unfortunately, the company I work for doesn’t have a maintenance department; there’s no PM plan for equipment maintenance – it’s only repaired when it breaks down!
There is a spare tank in the liquefied gas storage area; its purpose is to transfer as much of the material contained in the main tank as possible to this spare tank in the event of a large-scale leakage, a process known as \"tank transfer\"”
Hehe, the best way is to prevent problems before they arise. Solve it before it happens. If it has already come out, I’m afraid the odds are not in our favor. External-type level gauges eliminate the possibility of leaks entirely, as they require no drilling or tank cleaning. So, it is possible to improve security.
How do I light the tank top? I think it’s not feasible. It’s fine as long as the flame burns steadily, but if the flame damages the auxiliary equipment and causes a larger leak, wouldn’t that lead to an explosion? Dilution is necessary; the top priority remains evacuating people. Is it feasible to take measures to pump into other containers through pipes? When this situation occurs, there is basically no solution, so regular inspection and testing of containers and pipelines, as well as regular inspection of connecting valves and flanges, are very important.
It’s a pity there is no water inlet pipe in the equipment pipeline； Is there any regular maintenance for the equipment? There aren’t even maintenance workers (except for the mandatory inspections of pressure vessels) ； The current plan is to transfer the contents of tanks and enclose the area for personnel evacuation
The tank top can be ignited; technical expertise is required for this. Not all tank tops have vent pipes, and such areas can be used as ignition points. If not ignited, an explosion may occur; after ignition, the storage tank must be cooled to prevent the container from being damaged or exploding. There was such a precedent; I just can’t remember which refinery’s LPG tank it was. It was a case discussed during training – it started leaking and caught fire, then for some reason the fire went out, only to be lit up again.
This was mentioned as an example during the training: one can use blankets or something to soak in water and then place them over the area where there is a leak. Using water directly is certainly not practical, haha, because there is pressure present. In the event of a fire, I don’t think it’s possible to do that. If nitrogen is available, it’s feasible to maintain the pressure; but in cases where there is no pressure, as the amount of material inside decreases, the pressure drops, and backflow could occur. Isn’t that very dangerous? Therefore, I think starting a fire should be the last resort, and it wouldn’t be done lightly. Aren’t the emission amounts in the case of a fire the same as those in a normal leak? Is it perhaps to reduce the concentration in the atmosphere? This issue needs to be considered from various perspectives
There are no relevant emergency devices on site, only fire-fighting water; under such circumstances, it seems there is no solution. The only thing that can be done seems to be to transfer the contents of the tanks, enclose the area to prevent possible sources of ignition, evacuate the people present, and then just wait and see what happens! :'(