Abstract

Due to numerous hazardous chemicals to handle, the process plant industry has a higher risk of fire, explosion, and toxic release than other industries. Reviewing the accidents at process plants in the past, it is clear that fire accidents occur with the highest frequency, leading this study to consider accidental fire scenarios at process plants. For the scenario of an incident, a jet fire involving a massive amount of hydrogen gas to be processed or delivered at the process plant has been selected. The analysis of incident outcome resulting from the hydrogen jet fire has been implemented through the computational fluid dynamics simulation methodology Kameleon FireEx. Based on the outcome of this simulation, the consequences of a jet fire with high temperature and heat radiation are analyzed and evaluated. In addition, the results from Phast ver. 7.11 simulation for the same scenario are presented for comparison and further validation.

Abstract

At present food production depends almost exclusively on direct use of stored energy sources, may perhaps they be nuclear-, petroleum-, or biobased. Arable land, artificial fertilizers, and fresh water resources are the base for our present food systems, but are limited. At the same time, energy resources in the form of waste heat are available in ample quantities. The European Spallation Source (ESS) will require approximately 270 GWh of power per year to operate, power that ultimately is converted to heat. This multidisciplinary case study details an alternative food production cooling chain, using low-grade surplus heat, and involving fermentation, aquaculture, nutrient recapture, and greenhouse horticulture including both use of low-grade surplus heat and recycling of societys organic waste that is converted to animal feed and fertilizer. The study indicates that by combining the use of surplus energy with harvest of societys organic side flows, for example, food waste and aquatic-based cash crops, sustainable food systems are possible at a level of significance also for global food security. The effects of the proposed heat reuse model are discussed in a system perspective and in the context of the UNSCD indicator framework. The potential sustainability benefits of such an effort are shown to be substantial and multifaceted.