Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Comparison of numerical calculations and ALOHA modeling in consequence assessment of chlorine gas emissions from ethylene dichloride reactors

  • Research
  • Published:
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Incidents involving chemical storage tanks in the petrochemical industry are significant events with severe consequences. Within the petrochemical industry, EDC is a sector that produces ethylene dichloride through the reaction of chlorine and ethylene. The present research was conducted to evaluate the consequences of chlorine gas released from the EDC reactor in a petrochemical industry in southern Iran. Data regarding reactor specifications were obtained from the factory’s technical office, while climatic data was acquired from the Meteorological Organization. The consequences of chlorine gas release from the reactor were assessed in four predefined scenarios using numerical calculation methods and modeling with the ALOHA software. The numerical calculation method involved thermodynamic fluid path analysis, discharge coefficient calculations, and wind speed impact analysis. The hazard radius was determined based on the ERPG1-2–3 index. Results showed that in the scenario of chlorine gas release from EDC reactors, according to the ALOHA model, an increase in wind speed from 3 to 7 m/h led to an expanded dispersion radius. At a radius of 700 m from the reactor, the maximum outdoor concentration reached 3.12 ppm, decreasing to 2.27 ppm at 800 m and further to 1.53 ppm at 1000 m. The comparison of numerical calculations and modeling using the ALOHA software indicates the desirable conformity of the results with each other. The R2 coefficient for evaluating the conformity of the results was 0.9964, indicating the desired efficiency of the model in evaluating the consequences of the release of toxic gasses from the EDC tank. The results of this research can be useful in designing the site and emergency response plan.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

All data generated and analyzed during this study are included in this published article.

Notes

  1. https://khzmet.ir/rha/

References

  • Abbassi, R., Khan, F., Khakzad, N., Veitch, B., & Ehlers, S. (2017). Risk analysis of offshore transportation accident in arctic waters. International Journal of Maritime Engineering, 159(A3). https://doi.org/10.5750/ijme.v159iA3.1025

  • Barjoee, S. S., Elmi, M. R., Varaoon, V. T., Keykhosravi, S. S., & Karimi, F. (2022). Hazards of toluene storage tanks in a petrochemical plant: Modeling effects, consequence analysis, and comparison of two modeling programs. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29(3), 4587–4615. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-15864-5

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Block, M. S., & Rowan, B. G. (2020). Hypochlorous acid: A review. Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 78(9), 1461–1466. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joms.2020.06.029

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bytautas, S. (2008). Lietuviai pasauliečiai pranciškonai JAV ir Kanadoje 1940–1990 m. Katalikybės ir lietuviškų tradicijų puoselėtojai emigracijoje. SOTER: Religijos mokslo žurnalas, 54(26), 123–136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carpenter, A. (2019). Oil pollution in the North Sea: The impact of governance measures on oil pollution over several decades. Hydrobiologia, 845(1), 109–127. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-018-3559-2

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • da Silva Rodrigues, A. J., da Silva, M. H. L. F., de Farias, D. O., Teixeira, M. M., de Brito Rocha, M. F., Lins, G. B., ... & Neto, J. D. S. C. (2017, June). Risk reliability analysis, resulting from explosions in petrochemical industries: A case study using Aloha software. In 2017 12th Iberian conference on information systems and technologies (CISTI) (pp. 1–6). IEEE. DOI: https://doi.org/10.23919/CISTI.2017.7975733

  • Dash, A. K., Pradhan, M. K., & Singh, R. (2018). Application of computational analysis for risk assessment of chlorine gas from tank in chlorine production unit: A case study. In Advances in Fire and Process Safety: Select Proceedings of HSFEA 2016 (pp. 13–20). Springer Singapore. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7281-9_2

  • Esfandian, H., Goodarzian Urimi, M., & Shokoohi Rad, A. (2021). Risk assessment of gasoline storage unit of national iranian oil product distribution company using phast software. International Journal of Engineering, 34(4), 763–768. https://doi.org/10.5829/ije.2021.34.04a.02

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fan, X., Ding, Y., & Tang, J. (2020). Simulation study on consequence of leakage accident of liquid chlorine storage tank. In 2020 2nd International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Manufacture (AIAM) (pp. 349–354). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/AIAM50918.2020.00077

  • Faxon, C. B., & Allen, D. T. (2013). Chlorine chemistry in urban atmospheres: A review. Environmental Chemistry, 10(3), 221–233. https://doi.org/10.1071/EN13026

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fayiga, A. O., Ipinmoroti, M. O., & Chirenje, T. (2018). Environmental pollution in Africa. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 20(1), 41–73. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-016-9894-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ghasemi, A. M., & Nourai, F. (2017). A framework for minimizing domino effect through optimum spacing of storage tanks to serve in land use planning risk assessments. Safety Science, 97, 20–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2016.04.017

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ghashghaei, R., Sabzghabaei, G. R., Dashti, S., Jafariazar, S., & Salehipour, F. (2019). Modeling and prediction of environmental consequences of methanol as the most dangerous goods in ports (case study: Bandar Imam KhomeiniHealth&Safety in workplace, 9(2), 157–167.

  • Guo, X., Fan, J. C., & Melby, J. A. (2016). Simulation and calculation of thermal radiation of oil tank fire based on FDS. Journal of Mechanical Engineering Research and Developments, 39(2), 357–363.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harms-Ringdahl, L. (2004). Relationships between accident investigations, risk analysis, and safety management. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 111(1–3), 13–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2004.02.003

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hwang, J. G., Choi, M. K., Choi, D. H., & Choi, H. S. (2021). Quality improvement and tar reduction of syngas produced by bio-oil gasification. Energy, 236, 121473. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2021.121473

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ilic, P., Ilić, S., & Bjelić, L. S. (2018). Hazard modelling of accidental release chlorine gas using modern tool-Aloha software. Quality of Life (Banja Luka)-APEIRON, 16(1–2). https://doi.org/10.7251/QOL1801038I

  • Jabbari, M., Alibabaei, A., & Rezvanjah, M. (2021). Vulnerability analysis of the tanks of an oil refinery to fire-induced dom-ino effects based on graph Theory. Iran Occupational Health, 18(1), 201–219. http://ioh.iums.ac.ir/article-1-2919-fa.html.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • James, S., & Renjith, V. (2021). Risk assessment and vulnerability analysis of liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification terminal. Process Integration and Optimization for Sustainability, 5, 99–121. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41660-020-00138-3

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Khakzad, N., Khan, F., & Paltrinieri, N. (2014). On the application of near accident data to risk analysis of major accidents. Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 126, 116–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ress.2014.01.015

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khalil, M., Jan, B. M., Tong, C. W., & Berawi, M. A. (2017). Advanced nanomaterials in oil and gas industry: Design, application and challenges. Applied Energy, 191, 287–310. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.01.074

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Khoram, R. (2020). Modeling the consequences release of cyanogen agents in Bushehr nuclear power plant neighborhood using PHAST, ALOHA and WISER software. Iran Occupational Health, 17(4).

  • Krawczyk, P., Szabłowski, Ł, Karellas, S., Kakaras, E., & Badyda, K. (2018). Comparative thermodynamic analysis of compressed air and liquid air energy storage systems. Energy, 142, 46–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2017.07.078

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, H. E., Sohn, J. R., Byeon, S. H., Yoon, S. J., & Moon, K. W. (2018). Alternative risk assessment for dangerous chemicals in South Korea regulation: Comparing three modeling programs. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(8), 1600. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15081600

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, X., Zhang, G., Wu, M., & Wu, Z. (2023). Study on the potential risks under a hazardous gas leakage accident: Effects of source characteristics and ambient wind velocities. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30(7), 17516–17531. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-23347-4

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McNamara, R., Smith, A. P. (2020). Combined effects of fatigue indicators on the health and wellbeing of workers in the offshore oil industry (2020). Journal of Health and Medical Sciences, Vol.3 No.3, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3658089

  • Mirzayi, B., Babapoor, A., Dehghan Bidakhti, A., & Paar, M. (2021). Risk assessment in the process of leaking pipelines and storage equipment of oil and petroleum products. Nashrieh Shimi Va Mohandesi Shimi Iran, 40(2), 283–293.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mousavifard, S. A., Jozi, S. A., Zaeimdar, M., & Rezazadeh, A. M. (2022). Modeling of diffusion propagation due to ignition of Karaj Oil Depot using computational fluid dynamics method. http://aums.abzums.ac.ir/article-1-1550-fa.html

  • Nwankwo, C. D., Arewa, A. O., Theophilus, S. C., & Esenowo, V. N. (2022). Analysis of accidents caused by human factors in the oil and gas industry using the HFACS-OGI framework. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 28(3), 1642–1654. https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2021.1916238

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Samia, C., Hamzi, R., & Chebila, M. (2018). Contribution of the lessons learned from oil refining accidents to the industrial risks assessment. Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-07-2017-0067

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sarafraz, P., Varshosaz, K., & Orak, N. (2023). Safety, health, and environmental risk assessment of the aromatic outlet of Imam Khomeini Petrochemical Company using LOPA and fuzzy-LOPA and pollutants and control actions using the Bow-tie method. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1251548. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1251548

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shi, L., Shuai, J., & Xu, K. (2014). Fuzzy fault tree assessment based on improved AHP for fire and explosion accidents for steel oil storage tanks. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 278, 529–538. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2014.06.034

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shojaee Barjoee, S., Dashtian, A. H., Keykhosravi, S. S., Abbasi Saryazdi, M. J., & Afrough, M. J. (2021). Modeling the environmental, health, and safety aspects of xylene isomer emission from storage tanks in petrochemical industries, Iran. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 193, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-021-09569-y

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Spicer, T. O., & Tickle, G. (2021). Simplified source description for atmospheric dispersion model comparison of the Jack Rabbit II chlorine field experiments. Atmospheric Environment, 244, 117866. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2020.117866

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stoessel, F. (2021). Thermal safety of chemical processes: Risk assessment and process design. John Wiley & Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Terzioglu, L., & Iskender, H. (2021). Modeling the consequences of gas leakage and explosion fire in liquefied petroleum gas storage tank in Istanbul technical university, Maslak Campus. Process Safety Progress, 40(4), 319–326. https://doi.org/10.1002/prs.12263

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tseng, J. M., Su, T. S., & Kuo, C. Y. (2012). Consequence evaluation of toxic chemical releases by ALOHA. Procedia Engineering, 45, 384–389.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Uvaraja, K. (2020). Quantitative risk assessment and dispersion modelling using ALOHA for chlorine gas handling facility/Uvaraja Kusala (Doctoral dissertation, Universiti Malaya).

  • Yang, K. G., Yang, F., Zhang, G., Sun, N., Feng, B., & Zhu, X. (2019). Simulation analysis of propylene storage tank leakage based on ALOHA software. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 267(4).

  • Zannetti, P. (Ed.). (2013). Air pollution modeling: Theories, computational methods and available software. Springer Science & Business Media.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zheng, B., & Chen, G. H. (2011). Storage tank fire accidents. Process Safety Progress, 30(3), 291–293. https://doi.org/10.1002/prs.10458

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou, M., Xu, C., Xu, X., & Li, X. (2023). Accident consequence assessment of benzene leakage from storage tank in a chemical park in Bengbu City, China. Process Safety Progress, 42(3), 440–447. https://doi.org/10.1002/prs.12463

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research is the main part of a doctoral dissertation at the Department of Environment of the Islamic Azad University (Ahvaz Branch).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Engineering, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran

    Davood chehrazi & Reza Jalilzadeh Yengejeh

  2. Department of Environmental Management-HSE, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, 1915, Iran

    Amir Hossein Davami & Rouhollah Kazemi

Authors
  1. Davood chehrazi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Amir Hossein Davami
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Rouhollah Kazemi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Reza Jalilzadeh Yengejeh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Conceptualization: Davood chehrazi, Amir Hossein Davami, Rouhollah Kazemi. Data curation and analysis: Davood chehrazi, Rouhollah Kazemi, Amir Hossein Davami. Investigation and methodology: Davood chehrazi, Rouhollah Kazemi, Reza Jalilzadeh Yengejeh. Supervision: Amir Hossein Davami. Writing – original draft, writing – review and editing: Davood chehrazi, Reza Jalilzadeh Yengejeh.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amir Hossein Davami.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

chehrazi, D., Davami, A.H., Kazemi, R. et al. Comparison of numerical calculations and ALOHA modeling in consequence assessment of chlorine gas emissions from ethylene dichloride reactors. Environ Monit Assess 196, 553 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-024-12694-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-024-12694-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation