Thermal effects of fire on a nearby fuel storage tank

Abstract

This work presents numerical modeling and quantitative results of the heat transfer process from a burning tank to an adjacent tank. The flame is represented by a solid flame model in which two zones are identified: a lower clear flame layer with high temperatures and a darker upper layer in which the flame carries soot and smoke. Semi-empirical models are used to estimate the geometry of the flame; other models were also adopted to account for wind effects. The emissive power of each layer of the flame was locally evaluated as a function of temperature. A heat transfer process was followed from the flame to the target tank, at which an energy balance is carried out to include radiation from the flame, radiation from target tank surfaces, and convection to air and to fuel stored in the target tank. The results are presented in the form of temperature distributions on the target tank, which are an ingredient to perform structural analysis. Parametric studies are carried out to investigate the influence of the vertical location of the flame, wind speed, level and temperature of the fuel stored in the target tank, size and distance between tanks. Flame location at ground level, wind speed, higher temperatures of stored fluids, and short separation between tanks are identified as crucial elements increasing thermal effects on the target tank, but the results are not so much influenced by tank size.