Numerical Study on the Life-Safety Zone of Influence Based on Radiative Heat Flux from LNG and Methanol Pool Fires

On alternative-fueled ships, large-scale pool fires resulting from fuel leakage necessitate the evaluation of the life-safety zone of influence (ZOI) associated with thermal radiation. The effects of pool diameter and ambient wind speed on the ZOI of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and methanol pool fires were investigated using the Fire Dynamics Simulator. The ZOI was defined as the horizontal distance from the pool edge at which the time-averaged radiative heat flux at breathing height reached 1.6 kW/m2. At the maximum wind speed, the ZOI increased by ~3–14% and 4–24% for LNG and methanol, respectively, compared with the no-wind condition; the relative increase decreased with increasing pool diameter. In addition, the ZOI did not increase linearly with the pool diameter, and the diameter-normalized ZOI decreased in proportion to and for LNG and methanol, respectively. Based on these results, empirical correlations for the ZOI are proposed within the investigated ranges of pool diameter and wind speed, thereby providing a quantitative means to estimate life-safety impact distances associated with radiative heat flux.