The Influences of Key Factors on the Consequences Following the Natural Gas Leakage from Pipeline

AbstractThe effects of the environmental dispersion (i.e. atmospheric stability, wind speed, temperature, humidity and ground roughness) and source release factors (i.e. pipeline diameter, length, pressure and release opening area) on the suffocation distance, flammable vapor cloud distance, overpressure distance and thermal radiation distance after the natural gas released from pipeline were evaluated and analyzed. The results show that all the environmental dispersion factors except humidity have an effect on the flammable vapor cloud distance. The more stable atmospheric condition, lower wind speed and smaller ground roughness lead to the longer flammable vapor cloud distance. The atmosphere temperature has a very limited influence on the flammable vapor cloud distance. The higher ambient temperature and larger humidity result in the longer downwind thermal radiation distance, while the atmospheric stability, wind speed and ground roughness nearly does not. All the four source release factors significantly influence the flammable vapor cloud distance and thermal radiation distance, which is due to the different release amount, release rate and initial momentum