Wherever toxic or flammable chemicals are being manufactured, processed, stored or shipped, there is always a possibility of an accident or a substance release. Even small releases of substances can cause harm to people, damage the environment or even destroy property. History informs us that accidents do happen and when they happen they can be catastrophic.
The role of gas detection systems
A gas detection system is not simply a handful of gas detectors spread across an industrial plant. Choosing an appropriate detection technology, number of detectors and routine service and maintenance of the entire gas detection system are all crucial. However, the real challenge is to identify the possible migration path of any gas release based on a variety of factors wind direction, ambient temperatures, terrain, process pressures etc, which establishes the correct location of gas detectors. It is not practical to saturate an industrial plant with gas detectors, nor is it sensible to install only a single gas detector in a large area. There must be a compromise between cost and risk reduction.
Virtual Reality with MPflow®
3D simulations through software like MPflow® can be a valuable tool for determining the correct location of a gas detector. On top of that, they can significantly contribute to determine the magnitude of any Emergency Response Plan. The latter is done by simulating a large scale gas release. This simulation will determine the boundaries or end point where a release of a toxic substance will no longer be harmful to people or where explosive gas/air mixtures will no longer ignite. Knowledge of gas dispersion is fundamental to conduct a simulation.
In both cases of finding the optimal location of a gas detector or establishing an Emergency Response Plan, the air movement within the building/room needs to be analysed.
The first step is to load in MPflow® the topology of the building, including all the possible sources which generate air movement e.g. ventilation systems, hot surfaces, movement of people and product, thermal radiation etc. The second step is to simulate the air movement by using smoke tubes, taking care to monitor dead spaces like corners, roof voids and sumps.
MultiFluidX has coupled the capabilities of MPflow® with the amazing technology of SimZero offering unique opportunities to analyse complex scenarios involving flammable gases with Virtual Reality.
This technology can be used to enhance 3D simulations by providing real-time interaction with different scenes. By using VR gear like VR headsets and motion controllers, users can move around a scene and interact with objects, providing a richer, more immersive simulation experience.
MPflow® was recently deployed to a real-life scenario, allowing the users to analyse what will happen when a flammable gas disperses into a room that contains personnel. The software was used to study the dispersion of a flammable gas in a room and monitor temperature. The visualisation included an immersive environment thanks to SimZero’s software and help.