Infrared Gas Analyzers for Monitoring Emissions of Flammable and Explosive Natural Gas into the Atmosphere
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ICAL THERMODYNAMICS AND THERMOCHEMISTRY
Infrared Gas Analyzers for Monitoring Emissions of Flammable and Explosive Natural Gas into the Atmosphere A. V. Zagnit’koa,*, N. P. Zaretskiia, and I. D. Matsukova aNational
Research Center Kurchatov Institute, Moscow, 123182 Russia *e-mail: [email protected]
Received December 8, 2019; revised December 23, 2019; accepted January 21, 2020
Abstract—Optical infrared gas analyzers are developed for mixtures of vapors of liquefied natural gas and air. It is found that a network of them allows temperatures of −100 to +60°C to be measured along with volume concentrations of hydrocarbons С = 0.5–100 vol % with temporal responses of less than 1–2 s when analyzing methane–air emissions and clouds in the atmosphere with volumes of up to 107 m3 and data transmitted to a remote server at rates of up to 10 km every 1 ms. It is shown that with large-scale pulsed emissions of liquefied natural gas into the atmosphere or spills of it onto dry ground or water, conditions are created for the long-term formation of flammable and explosive mixtures of air and hydrocarbons at concentrations C = 5–15 vol %. Keywords: infrared gas analyzers, methane, network systems, concentration, hydrocarbon vapors, atmosphere, diffusion, low temperatures DOI: 10.1134/S0036024420090332
INTRODUCTION A reliable assessment of the consequences of possible accidental emissions, leaks, and spills accompanied by the formation of vapor clouds is needed when ensuring the industrial safety of the facilities for the manufacture, storage, and transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Their formation at facilities of the fuel and energy complex begins with the uncontrolled outflow of LNG, followed by evaporation and mixing with an ambient atmosphere of methane and vapors containing a wide fraction of light hydrocarbons (WFLH), including ethane, propane, butane and other light alkanes. These mixtures at volume concentrations C ≈ 5–15 vol % are flammable and explosive [1–9], so the development of physical and chemical means for their quick and remote monitoring is of both scientific interest and practical importance for the environment and the development of safe and clean energy. Data on the composition of hydrocarbon clouds in modeling large-scale accidents at fuel and energy facilities associated with pulsed technogenic and/or unauthorized emissions of LNG into the atmosphere, and with its spilling on the ground, are limited [1–6]. Experimental analyses of them are quite complex, since the rapidly changing concentration of methane and WFLH vapors must be measured in a wide range of C ≈ 0.1–50 vol % and temperatures inside clouds of up to −(100–150)°C with gas analyzer speeds of less than 1–2 s. In addition, due to the potential danger posed by mixtures of hydrocarbons and air, we must
perform remote analyses of them at distances of up to 5–10 km with fast data transfer to the main information collection server [1–6]. Finally, along with technical difficulties, large-scale experiments require substantial financial
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