Assessment of the Explosion Hazard of Petroleum Product Spills in the Moscow Basin of Inland Waterways

Explosions of oil and petroleum product spills are accompanied by the emission of significant volumes of overpressure, causing the impact of a sound wave on the environment, residents, and the normal functioning of their life-supporting systems. Therefore, the development of measures to prevent primarily processes of gas, vapor, and air mixture generation whose instantaneous ignition leads to an explosion is required. The study considers the issues of hazard assessment and using methods of explosion prevention in the case of oil and petroleum product spills at inland water facilities based on forecasting of movement of petroleum product spots via the joint application of simulation modeling and mathematical statistics methods. The goals of the study are the scientific substantiation and the development of a methodology for the assessment of the environmental hazard of the explosion of oil and petroleum products spills at the facilities within the borders of the Moscow basin of inland waterways. The authors have developed a classification of oil and petroleum product spill sources within the borders of the basin of inland waterways in accordance with a hazard level in the case of explosion of gas, vapor, and air mixture generated as a result of petroleum products spill (based on the example of the Moscow basin of inland waterways). The classification provides the assessment of maximum distances of the impact of explosion damage factors and the use of methods to prevent the generation of gas, vapor, and air mixtures crucial for the explosion generation.