Citation

Pitblado R. J. Hazard. Mater. 2007; 140(3): 527-534.

Affiliation

DNV, 16340 Park Ten Place, Suite 100, Houston, TX 77084, USA. robin.pitblado@dnv.com

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jhazmat.2006.10.021

PMID

17137713

Abstract

Recent LNG marine shipping hazard studies have discounted BLEVE hazards associated with LNG vessels. This exclusion of a potential major hazard event has been queried, particularly since a recent LNG truck BLEVE-like event in Spain. This paper reviews the physical factors associated with the Spanish LNG truck event and accepts that this had features of a classical BLEVE event and that there is no inherent property of LNG excluding BLEVE-like events, although US LNG trucks would be safer due to design features. Marine LNG vessels have differently designed tanks and it is demonstrated that the combination of physical barriers makes direct thermal input to the LNG inner tank more limited than hypothesized by some, but if it occurs these tanks cannot rise to a pressure sufficient to cause a large flash of liquid and consequent BLEVE event of a scale hypothesized in the literature.

Language: en