Atmospheric Dispersion of Emissions Due to Leakages in Pressurized Natural Gas Ducts

−− A simplified approach is presented to the transient atmospheric dispersion of accidental releases of natural gas, originated by leakages in pressurized ducts on sea level. In this scenario, shutoff valves are used for instantaneous shutdown of tube operation, isolating the harmful inventory, whose transient release is simulated providing estimations of gas instantaneous atmospheric concentration. The analysis further covers the transient behavior inside the ducts through a leakage model and the occurrence of multiple ruptures, synchronized or not, with known spatial distribution. The time-space dispersion model employed accounts for: (i) atmospheric conditions, (ii) wind speed, (iii) transient conditions of gas release into the atmosphere, and (iv) plume rise. The process of continuous release is approximated by a finite sequence of pulses, known as “puffs”. Discrete puffs have volume dependent on release intensity, which depends on the actual time instant, as inventory decreases due to emission. Keywords−− Atmospheric Dispersion, MultiSource Plumes, Plume Rise and Leakage.