Ammonia leakage treatment facility and ammonia receiving facility

Abstract

An ammonia leakage treatment facility (3) is provided with: a dike (4) that can store leaked ammonia liquid (X) and that is open upward; and an air curtain formation unit (5) that, by injecting air (Y), causes vaporized gas of the ammonia liquid (X) stored inside the dike (4) to flow.

Description

Ammonia leakage treatment facility and ammonia receiving facility

[0001] This disclosure relates to an ammonia leak treatment facility and an ammonia receiving facility. This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-011505, filed on January 30, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a liquefied gas storage tank. The liquefied gas storage tank disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a double-shelled tank having an inner shell and an outer shell. A rectangular liquid containment dike is provided on the outer periphery of such a double-shelled tank. In a tank facility equipped with such a liquid containment dike, even if liquefied gas leaks from the double-shelled tank, the area of ​​the leaked liquefied gas can be limited to the area surrounded by the liquid containment dike.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021-17920

[0004] Conventionally, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) have been widely used as liquefied gases. The vaporized gases of LNG and LPG have low toxicity. However, in recent years, liquefied ammonia has been used as fuel in some cases. The ammonia gas generated by vaporizing liquefied ammonia is more toxic than LNG or LPG. For this reason, even in situations where the release of ammonia gas into the atmosphere is unavoidable, it is necessary to prevent ammonia gas from reaching high concentrations near the ground surface around the dike, within the area where humans and livestock are active.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to prevent ammonia gas from reaching the ground surface in high concentrations in the event of ammonia liquid leakage.

[0006] The present disclosure employs the following configuration as a means for solving the above problems.

[0007] A first aspect of the present disclosure is an ammonia leak treatment facility that includes a liquid containment dike that is capable of storing leaked ammonia liquid and is open facing upward, and a gas injection unit that injects gas to circulate the vaporized gas of the ammonia liquid stored inside the liquid containment dike.

[0008] A second aspect of the present disclosure is an ammonia receiving facility, comprising: an ammonia tank that stores the ammonia liquid; and the ammonia leak treatment facility of the first aspect that is capable of storing the ammonia liquid that has leaked from the ammonia tank.

[0009] Ammonia gas has a low specific gravity compared to air at room temperature or above. Therefore, when a volume of ammonia gas overflows the dike, there is a possibility that high concentrations of the gas will reach humans and animals near the ground surface around the dike. In response to this, the present disclosure injects gas from a gas injection unit to diffuse the ammonia gas upward. Therefore, according to the present disclosure, the ammonia gas flows upward as guided by the injected gas, preventing it from overflowing in high concentrations near the ground surface around the dike. Therefore, the present disclosure can prevent ammonia gas from reaching the ground surface in high concentrations in the event of a leak of ammonia liquid.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an ammonia receiving facility according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig. 2 is a top view showing a schematic configuration of an ammonia receiving facility according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which air is sprayed from an air curtain forming unit provided in the ammonia receiving facility according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which fire extinguishing water is sprayed from a water curtain forming unit provided in the ammonia receiving facility according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of an ammonia leak treatment facility and an ammonia receiving facility according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an ammonia receiving facility 1 of this embodiment. Note that Fig. 1 shows a state in which there is no leakage of ammonia liquid X, which will be described later. The ammonia receiving facility 1 of this embodiment stores liquefied ammonia gas (ammonia liquid X). Furthermore, the ammonia receiving facility 1 of this embodiment vaporizes the stored ammonia liquid X using a vaporization facility (not shown) as necessary and supplies the vaporized ammonia liquid X to a supply destination such as a boiler. As shown in Fig. 1, the ammonia receiving facility 1 includes an ammonia tank 2 and an ammonia leakage treatment facility 3.

[0013] The ammonia tank 2 is a tank that stores ammonia liquid X. The ammonia tank 2 is, for example, a metal double-shell tank having a metal inner shell and a metal outer shell. The ammonia tank 2 has a cold insulation material filled between the outer shell and the inner shell, and stores the ammonia liquid X inside the inner shell at a low temperature. Such an ammonia tank 2 is provided on a bottom 4a (described later) of the liquid barrier dyke 4.

[0014] The ammonia leak treatment equipment 3 is capable of storing the ammonia liquid X leaked from the ammonia tank 2 when the ammonia liquid X leaks from the ammonia tank 2, and is open upward. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the ammonia leak treatment equipment 3 includes a liquid barrier 4, an air curtain forming unit 5 (gas spraying unit), and a water curtain forming unit 6 (water spraying unit).

[0015] In this embodiment, the ammonia leak treatment equipment 3 is capable of storing the ammonia liquid X that has leaked from the ammonia tank 2.

[0016] 1, the dike 4 includes a bottom 4a that supports the ammonia tank 2 and other components from below, and a surrounding wall 4b that stands on the bottom 4a so as to surround the ammonia tank 2 when viewed from above, and has a storage space that is open upward. Such a dike 4 is made of, for example, concrete.

[0017] Fig. 2 is a top view of the ammonia receiving equipment 1 of this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, in this embodiment, the bottom 4a and the surrounding wall 4b are formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from above. However, the shapes of the bottom 4a and the surrounding wall 4b are not particularly limited. The surrounding wall 4b is provided along the edge of the rectangular bottom 4a and surrounds the ammonia tank 2 from all directions.

[0018] 1, the height D1 of the ammonia tank 2 from the bottom 4a is greater than the height D2 of the surrounding wall 4b from the bottom 4a. The upper end surface 4b1 of the surrounding wall 4b forms the top of the liquid barrier 4. Therefore, in this embodiment, the top of the liquid barrier 4 is located lower than the top of the ammonia tank 2. In other words, in this embodiment, the height of the liquid barrier 4 is lower than that of the ammonia tank 2.

[0019] However, the height of the liquid barrier 4 is not limited to being lower than that of the ammonia tank 2. For example, the height of the liquid barrier 4 may be the same as or higher than that of the ammonia tank 2. In such a case, the upper end surface 4b1 of the surrounding wall 4b is located at the same height as or higher than the top of the ammonia tank 2.

[0020] 3 is a schematic diagram showing the state in which air Y is sprayed from the air curtain forming unit 5. By spraying air Y (gas), the air curtain forming unit 5 causes the vaporized gas (ammonia gas G) of the ammonia liquid X stored inside the liquid barrier 4 to flow upward, preventing the ammonia gas G from reaching the ground surface around the liquid barrier 4 in high concentration.

[0021] In this embodiment, a plurality of air curtain forming units 5 are provided. As shown in Fig. 2, these air curtain forming units 5 are arranged along the surrounding wall 4b so as to surround the ammonia tank 2. Note that the number of air curtain forming units 5 shown in Fig. 2 is an example and can be changed.

[0022] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the air curtain generating unit 5 includes an air injection nozzle 5a (injection nozzle), an air header pipe 5b (gas guide pipe), an air supply pipe 5c, and an air blower 5d (blower).

[0023] In this embodiment, a configuration will be described in which the gas injection unit includes an air curtain forming unit 5 that injects air Y. However, the gas injection unit is not limited to the air curtain forming unit 5 of this embodiment. For example, a gas injection unit that injects an inert gas such as nitrogen gas may be provided.

[0024] Each air curtain forming unit 5 is equipped with a plurality of air injection nozzles 5a. Each air injection nozzle 5a is connected to an air header pipe 5b provided on the upper end surface 4b1 of the dike 4. These air injection nozzles 5a inject air Y supplied from the air header pipe 5b upward. An upward air curtain is formed by the air Y injected upward from these air injection nozzles 5a. There is no particular limitation on the number of air injection nozzles 5a connected to one air header pipe 5b.

[0025] The air header pipe 5b distributes air Y supplied from an air blower 5d via an air supply pipe 5c to the multiple air injection nozzles 5a. In this embodiment, the air header pipe 5b is fixed to the upper end surface 4b1 of the surrounding wall 4b and extends linearly along the surrounding wall 4b. However, the air header pipe 5b can also be fixed to the outer wall surface or inner wall surface of the surrounding wall 4b.

[0026] In this embodiment, the air injection nozzles 5a and the air header pipe 5b are separate bodies, but this is not limiting. For example, the air injection nozzles 5a may be formed integrally with the air header pipe 5b.

[0027] The air supply pipe 5c is a pipe that connects the air header pipe 5b and the air blower 5d. The air supply pipe 5c extends vertically to connect the air header pipe 5b located at the top of the dike 4 with the air blower 5d installed near the ground, and guides the air Y from below to above.

[0028] The air blower 5d is connected to the lower end of the air supply pipe 5c. The air blower 5d sucks in air Y, pressurizes the sucked air Y, and discharges it into the air supply pipe 5c. The air Y discharged from the air blower 5d is supplied to the air injection nozzle 5a via the air supply pipe 5c and the air header pipe 5b. In other words, the air blower 5d supplies the air Y to the air injection nozzle 5a via the air supply pipe 5c and the air header pipe 5b.

[0029] The air blower 5d is connected to, for example, a control device (not shown) and is driven under the control of the control device. For example, when a signal indicating that ammonia liquid X is leaking from the ammonia tank 2 is input to the control device, the air blower 5d is driven to form the above-mentioned air curtain. Note that the air blower 5d may also be driven manually by an operator.

[0030] When the air curtain forming unit 5 forms an air curtain, an ascending air current is formed inside the surrounding wall 4b by the upward flow of air Y. This ascending air current causes ammonia gas G, which is generated by evaporation of the leaked ammonia liquid X inside the surrounding wall 4b, to flow upward.

[0031] 4 is a schematic diagram showing the state in which fire-fighting water Z is sprayed from the water curtain forming units 6. The water curtain forming units 6 spray water from the top of the dike 4. In this embodiment, multiple water curtain forming units 6 are provided. As shown in FIG. 2, these water curtain forming units 6 are arranged along the surrounding wall 4b so as to surround the ammonia tank 2. Note that the number of water curtain forming units 6 shown in FIG. 2 is one example and can be changed.

[0032] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the water curtain forming unit 6 is equipped with water injection nozzles 6a, a water header pipe 6b, a water supply pipe 6c, and an on-off valve 6d. In this embodiment, a configuration is described in which fire-fighting water supplied under pressure from the outside is sprayed by the water curtain forming unit 6. However, the water curtain forming unit 6 may also be equipped with a booster pump to boost the pressure of stored water for spraying. Furthermore, the water curtain forming unit 6 may also spray seawater or the like instead of fire-fighting water.

[0033] Each water curtain forming section 6 is equipped with a plurality of water injection nozzles 6a. Each water injection nozzle 6a is connected to a water header pipe 6b provided on the upper end surface 4b1 of the dike 4. These water injection nozzles 6a spray fire-extinguishing water Z supplied from the water header pipe 6b upward. A water curtain is formed by the fire-extinguishing water Z sprayed upward from these water injection nozzles 6a. There is no particular limitation on the number of water injection nozzles 6a connected to one water header pipe 6b.

[0034] The water header pipe 6b distributes the fire-extinguishing water Z supplied via the water supply pipe 6c to the multiple water injection nozzles 6a. In this embodiment, the water header pipe 6b is fixed to the upper end surface 4b1 of the surrounding wall 4b and extends linearly along the surrounding wall 4b. However, the water header pipe 6b can also be fixed to the outer wall surface or inner wall surface of the surrounding wall 4b.

[0035] In this embodiment, the water injection nozzles 6 a and the water header pipe 6 b are separate bodies, but this is not limiting. For example, the water injection nozzles 6 a may be formed integrally with the water header pipe 6 b.

[0036] The water supply pipe 6c connects the water header pipe 6b to a water source. The on-off valve 6d is provided midway along the water supply pipe 6c. When the on-off valve 6d is opened, the fire-extinguishing water Z flows through the water supply pipe 6c, and the fire-extinguishing water Z is supplied to the water injection nozzles 6a. When the on-off valve 6d is closed, the supply of the fire-extinguishing water Z to the water injection nozzles 6a is stopped.

[0037] The on-off valve 6d is connected to, for example, a control device (not shown) and is opened and closed under the control of the control device. For example, when a signal indicating a fire is input to the control device, the on-off valve 6d is opened and the above-mentioned water curtain is formed. Note that the on-off valve 6d may also be opened and closed manually by an operator.

[0038] When such a water curtain forming section 6 forms a water curtain, radiant heat from an external fire to the ammonia tank 2 can be suppressed.

[0039] 1 to 4, in this embodiment, the air injection nozzles 5a and the air header pipe 5b are located closer to the center of the dike 4 (towards the ammonia tank 2) than the water injection nozzles 6a and the water header pipe 6b. Therefore, the position where the air curtain is formed is closer to the center of the dike 4 than the position where the water curtain is formed. Therefore, the ammonia gas G can be more easily circulated by the ascending air current caused by the air curtain.

[0040] In addition, the water curtain is formed at a position closer to the outside of the dike 4 than the air curtain is formed at. Therefore, the fire-fighting water Z forming the water curtain can be prevented from entering the inside of the dike 4.

[0041] In the ammonia receiving facility 1 of this embodiment, when liquid ammonia X leaks from the ammonia tank 2, the air blower 5d is driven and air Y is injected from the air injection nozzle 5a, as shown in Figure 3. This forms an air curtain extending upward from the top of the dike 4.

[0042] The upward flow of ammonia gas G generated by the vaporization of ammonia liquid X inside the dike 4 is promoted by the rising air currents formed by the air curtain. As a result, the ammonia gas G accumulated inside the dike 4 is discharged toward the top of the dike 4. Ammonia gas G has a smaller specific gravity than air. Therefore, the ammonia gas G discharged upward heads toward the sky without flowing near the ground surface.

[0043] When there is no fire outside the dike 4, the on-off valve 6d of the water curtain forming unit 6 is kept closed, as shown in Fig. 3. Therefore, when ammonia liquid X leaks from the ammonia tank 2 and there is no fire, only the air curtain is formed out of the air curtain and the water curtain.

[0044] In the ammonia receiving facility 1 of this embodiment, if a fire breaks out outside the dike 4, the on-off valve 6d is opened and fire-extinguishing water Z is sprayed from the water spray nozzle 6a, as shown in Fig. 4. This forms a water curtain extending upward from the top of the dike 4. This makes it possible to block the radiant heat of the fire with the water curtain.

[0045] When forming a water curtain, the air blower 5d can be stopped and only the water curtain can be formed, although both the water curtain and the air curtain may also be formed.

[0046] The ammonia leak treatment equipment 3 of this embodiment as described above includes a liquid barrier 4 and an air curtain forming unit 5. The liquid barrier 4 is capable of storing leaked ammonia liquid X and is open upward. The air curtain forming unit 5 injects air Y to circulate the vaporized gas of the ammonia liquid X stored inside the liquid barrier 4.

[0047] Ammonia gas G has a low specific gravity compared to air at room temperature or higher. However, if the wind direction or the temperature of the ammonia gas G is low, there is a possibility that the ammonia gas G will overflow the dike 4 and reach the vicinity of the ground surface around the dike 4 in high concentrations. In contrast, the ammonia leak treatment equipment 3 of this embodiment causes the ammonia gas G to flow upward by injecting air Y from the air curtain forming unit 5. Therefore, according to the ammonia leak treatment equipment 3 of this embodiment, the ammonia gas G flows upward by being guided by the injected air Y, and the ammonia gas G is prevented from overflowing the dike 4 and overflowing near the ground surface. Therefore, the ammonia leak treatment equipment 3 of this embodiment can prevent ammonia gas G from reaching the vicinity of the ground surface in high concentrations when ammonia liquid X leaks.

[0048] In the ammonia leak treatment facility 3 of this embodiment, the air curtain forming unit 5 includes an air injection nozzle 5a, an air header pipe 5b, and an air blower 5d. The air injection nozzle 5a is installed at the top of the dike 4. The air header pipe 5b is connected to the air injection nozzle 5a. The air blower 5d supplies air Y to the air injection nozzle 5a via the air header pipe 5b.

[0049] According to the ammonia leak treatment equipment 3 of this embodiment, the air Y pressurized by the air blower 5d can be injected from the multiple air injection nozzles 5a. This allows the air Y to be injected over a wider range. In other words, according to the ammonia leak treatment equipment 3, it is possible to form a wide air curtain.

[0050] Furthermore, in the ammonia leak treatment equipment 3 of this embodiment, the air curtain forming unit 5 injects air Y upward. According to the ammonia leak treatment equipment 3 of this embodiment, the air curtain forming unit 5 forms an upward air current, which causes the ammonia gas G inside the liquid barrier levee 4 to flow upward. Therefore, according to the ammonia leak treatment equipment 3 of this embodiment, it is possible to efficiently move the ammonia gas G away from the vicinity of the ground surface.

[0051] Furthermore, in the ammonia leak treatment equipment 3 of this embodiment, the gas sprayed from the air curtain forming unit 5 is air Y. According to the ammonia leak treatment equipment 3 of this embodiment, the air curtain can be formed using outside air. Therefore, there is no need to prepare a separate gas to be sprayed.

[0052] Furthermore, the ammonia leak treatment facility 3 of this embodiment is equipped with a water curtain forming unit 6 that sprays water from the top of the dike 4. According to the ammonia leak treatment facility 3 of this embodiment, in the event of a fire occurring inside the dike 4, radiant heat can be prevented from reaching the surrounding ground surface.

[0053] Furthermore, in the ammonia leak treatment facility 3 of this embodiment, fire-extinguishing water Z is used as the water sprayed in the water curtain forming section 6. Generally, in plants such as the ammonia receiving facility 1, fire-extinguishing water Z can be used. In the ammonia leak treatment facility 3 of this embodiment, a water curtain is formed using such fire-extinguishing water Z, so there is no need to prepare water dedicated to the ammonia leak treatment facility 3.

[0054] The ammonia receiving facility 1 of this embodiment also includes an ammonia tank 2 that stores ammonia liquid X, and an ammonia leak treatment facility 3. The ammonia leak treatment facility 3 injects air Y to cause ammonia gas G to flow and prevent the ammonia gas G from accumulating inside the liquid barrier 4. Therefore, like the ammonia leak treatment facility 3, the ammonia receiving facility 1 of this embodiment can also prevent ammonia gas G from flowing near the ground surface when ammonia liquid X leaks.

[0055] While the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The shapes and combinations of the components shown in the above-described embodiments are merely examples, and various modifications can be made based on design requirements and the like within the scope of the present disclosure as defined in the claims.

[0056] For example, in the above embodiment, a configuration including a plurality of air curtain forming units 5 has been described. However, it is also possible to adopt a configuration including a single air curtain forming unit 5. In such a case, for example, by forming the air header pipe 5b in a continuous ring shape along the surrounding wall 2e, an air curtain can be formed to surround the ammonia tank 2 from all sides.

[0057] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a configuration including multiple water curtain forming units 6 has been described. However, it is also possible to adopt a configuration including, for example, a single water curtain forming unit 6. In such a case, for example, by forming the water header pipe 6b so as to be continuous in an annular shape along the surrounding wall 2e, a water curtain can be formed to surround the ammonia tank 2 from all sides.

[0058] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a configuration including the water curtain forming unit 6 has been described. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, a configuration not including the water curtain forming unit 6 may also be employed.

[0059] The above embodiment can also be described as follows, for example:

[0060] (Note 1) An ammonia leak treatment facility comprising: a liquid containment dike capable of storing leaked ammonia liquid and open toward the top; and a gas injection unit that injects gas to circulate the vaporized gas of the ammonia liquid stored inside the liquid containment dike.

[0061] (Appendix 2) The ammonia leak treatment facility according to Appendix 1, wherein the gas injection section comprises: an injection nozzle installed on the top of the liquid barrier; a gas guide pipe connected to the injection nozzle; and a blower that supplies the gas to the injection nozzle via the gas guide pipe.

[0062] (Supplementary Note 3) The ammonia leak treatment facility according to Supplementary Note 1 or 2, wherein the gas injection unit injects the gas upward.

[0063] (Appendix 4) The ammonia leak treatment facility according to any one of Appendices 1 to 3, wherein the gas is air.

[0064] (Appendix 5) An ammonia leak treatment facility according to any one of Appendices 1 to 4, comprising a water injection unit that injects water from the top of the dike.

[0065] (Supplementary Note 6) An ammonia receiving facility comprising: an ammonia tank for storing the ammonia liquid; and an ammonia leak treatment facility according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 5, capable of storing the ammonia liquid leaked from the ammonia tank.

[0066] (Supplementary Note 7) The ammonia receiving facility according to Supplementary Note 6, wherein the height of the dike is lower than that of the ammonia tank.

[0067] It is possible to provide an ammonia leak treatment facility that can prevent ammonia gas from reaching the ground surface in high concentrations when ammonia liquid leaks.

[0068] 1...ammonia receiving equipment, 2...ammonia tank, 2e...enclosure wall, 3...ammonia leak treatment equipment, 4...liquid barrier, 4a...bottom, 4b...enclosure wall, 4b1...upper end surface (top), 5...air curtain forming section (gas injection section), 5a...air injection nozzle (injection nozzle), 5b...air header pipe (gas guide pipe), 5c...air supply pipe, 5d...air blower (blower), 6...water curtain forming section (water injection section), 6a...water injection nozzle, 6b...water header pipe, 6c...water supply pipe, 6d...opening / closing valve, G...ammonia gas (vaporized gas), X...ammonia liquid, Y...air (gas), Z...fire extinguishing water (water)

Claims

1. An ammonia leak treatment facility comprising: a liquid containment dike capable of storing leaked ammonia liquid and open to the top; and a gas injection unit that injects gas to circulate the vaporized gas of the ammonia liquid stored inside the dike.

2. An ammonia leak treatment facility as set forth in claim 1, wherein the gas injection unit comprises: an injection nozzle installed on the top of the liquid barrier; a gas guide pipe connected to the injection nozzle; and a blower that supplies the gas to the injection nozzle via the gas guide pipe.

3. The ammonia leak treatment facility according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the gas injection unit injects the gas upward.

4. An ammonia leak treatment facility according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the gas is air.

5. An ammonia leak treatment facility according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a water injection unit for injecting water from the top of the dike.

6. An ammonia receiving facility comprising: an ammonia tank for storing the ammonia liquid; and an ammonia leak treatment facility according to claim 1 or 2, capable of storing the ammonia liquid leaked from the ammonia tank.

7. The ammonia receiving facility according to claim 6, wherein the height of the dike is lower than that of the ammonia tank.

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