On the Application of CFD Codes for Natural Gas Dispersion and Explosion in Gas Fuelled Ship

The main objectives of this study are to analyze the leaked gas dispersion and quantify the potential overpressures due to vapor cloud explosions in order to identify the most significant contributors to risk by using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFX & FLACS) for gas fuelled ships. A series of CFD simulations and analyses have been performed for the various gas release scenarios in a closed module, covering different release rates and ventilating methods. This study is specially focused on the LNG FGS (Fuel Gas Supply) system recently developed for the propulsion of VLCC crude oil carriers by shipyards. Most of work presented is discussed on the gas dispersion from leaks in the FGS room, and shows some blast prediction validation examples.