Avoiding accidents

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Avoiding accidents

Wade, Robin

There are a number of potential risks associated with the release of cryogenic liquids in both onshore and offshore LNG facilities. Most prominent is the potential for escalation to occur due to the fracture of structural steel and/or process equipment when the steel substrates become too cold, are subject to violent blasts or are exposed to aggressive hydrocarbon fires as a result of the spill. It is therefore critical to ensure that the passive protection systems installed in LNG facilities are capable of withstanding these potential hazards throughout their service life. It could be argued that passive protection systems (most commonly epoxy syntactic insulation and epoxy passive fire protection) are subject to the most extreme conditions when in service and that fitness for purpose testing must go beyond basic qualification and certification. This is particularly true when considering that the function of these materials must remain adequate after prolonged periods of weathering and subjection to demanding mechanical stresses. To ensure the safety of the personnel operating LNG facilities it is therefore critical to consider the choice of passive protection systems carefully to ensure they are capable of withstanding the potential accident scenarios that these facilities may face upon release of cryogenic liquids. Furthermore, it is suggested that passive protection systems undergo thorough life cycle durability testing covering a full range of cryogenic liquid cascade conditions to ensure suitable performance after many decades in service.