Consequence modeling and domino effects analysis of synergistic effect for pool fires based on computational fluid dynamic

Synergistic effects of pool fires in fire-induced domino accidents can result in greater damage than single pool fire. Existing research mainly adopts a superposition method based on simplified assumptions to analyze the contribution of synergistic effect of pool fires for domino effects. Therefore, the synergistic effect of pool fires has not been well understood. In this study, a new CFD-based method is developed to model the synergistic effect of pool fires. Case studies were carried out taking double pool fires as an example. The influence of key factors, including wind speed, vertical fire location, fuel type, and separation distance has been investigated quantitatively. The results demonstrated that the proposed CFD based approach can model the consequences of pool fires more comprehensively and assess the domino effects under synergistic effect more precisely than the traditional superposition method. Compared with the single pool fire, the synergistic effect of double pool fires can increase the probability of domino accidents for the adjacent tanks at the downwind by six orders of magnitude. In addition, it is observed that the received maximum radiation heat flux and escalation probability of the target tank in the downwind direction rise with increased wind speed. While the maximum radiation heat flux received by target tanks and escalation probability reduced with increased separation distance and vertical fire location. Moreover, according to the minimum safety distance recommended by present design standards, the synergistic effect of double pool fires in diesel storage tank farms will lead to a higher escalation probability of near equipment than gasoline storage tank farms. This study can be used to predict accident consequences and assess the domino effect under the synergistic effect of pool fires, and guide the layout optimization of the chemical storage tank area. (C) 2021 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Institution of Chemical Engineers.