Thermal radiation assessment of flaring gas in floating LNG bunkering terminal

Abstract

A floating LNG bunkering terminal (FLBT) is a marine unit capable of receiving LNG through an LNG carrier and storing LNG and bunkering fuel into LNG-fueled vessels using an LNG bunkering shuttle. The FLBT is accompanied by LNG bunkering-related processes, such as loading/unloading, reliquefaction, and gas flare, within a limited space on the vessel. The heat radiated from the flaring gases causes the personnel working on the FLBT platform to be frequently exposed to risks that may be lethal. Therefore, for safety purposes, a quantitative evaluation of the thermal radiation of the ignited flare gas ejected from a flare tower is required to understand the hazards that the personnel, assets, and environment on the FLBT platform may be exposed to. In this study, the worst scenario that occurs in an emergency flaring was selected to assess the thermal radiation effect when the highest release of boil-off gas was ignited. Additionally, the acceptance of the thermal radiation level of the flaring gas was numerically analyzed and verified based on practical guidelines.