APPLICATION OF CONSTRUCTIONS BASED ON WATER-FILM SHIELDS FOR INCREASING OF THE FIRE-AND-EXPLOSION SAFETY OF OBJECTS OF STORAGE AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS

The increased fire-and-explosion safety of objects of storage and distribution of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) is caused by number of its specific features. In emergency situations caused by depressurization of processing equipment the serious danger is represented by fire hazardous cloud which is often accompanied by explosions with destruction of process communications, devices, tanks and initiate formation of additional flow out places of gas and cascade development of emergency situation. The earlier offered methods and facilities of gas contamination control have a number of serious shortcomings and are not widely adopted. Results of researches of efficiency of application of constructions with water-film shields as a mean of gas contamination control in emergency situations are presented in given article. In this article, devoted to research efficiency of application of heat-proofing water-film shields for weakening of powerful heat radiation from burning of LNG spills, it was determined that along with protection against external sources of thermal radiation the above mentioned constructions have gas-isolating ability. It allows assuming that on their basis it can be developed the unique devices combining the most important and necessary properties to solve successfully the problem of fire protection of LNG storages. Experiments showed that in case of arson of the gas, evaporating in internal volume of the protective barrier, explosion not only does not bring to destruction of barrier, but also does not exert appreciable influence on it. Thus, constructions based on water-film shields allow providing effective protection of tanks and processing equipment with LNG during the most dangerous emergency situations caused by flowing out of liquefied natural gas at the objects of its storage and distribution.