Quantitative risk assessment of gas leakage and explosion in open kitchens and partitioned kitchens

Abstract

ABSTRACT In recent years, natural gas companies have faced more and more gas supply applications for open kitchens in China. However, natural gas cannot be utilized in open kitchens according to the current compulsory regulations. The numerical models for three typical open kitchen layouts and the corresponding partition kitchen layouts were developed, respectively. The experimental setup of gas leakage and explosion, like a residential kitchen, was established based on the similarity theory. The accuracy and reliability of numerical models have been validated by three sets of experiments. An innovative quantitative risk assessment method was proposed to quantify the integrated risks for the open kitchen layout and the partition kitchen layout. The effectiveness of the proposed risk reduction measures was assessed using a modified LOPA (i.e. Layer Of Protection Analysis). The results show that the integrated risk for the open kitchen layout in different apartments is 1.37 ~ 4.65 times than that for the partition kitchen layouts. The integrated risk of gas leakage explosion in three open kitchen layout arrangements was reduced by 94.8%, 50%, and 94.5%, respectively, by setting two layers of protection. Meanwhile, the increased expense of ¥400 can be generally acceptable for the majority of residential users. The achievements could provide theoretical and technological guidance for gas safety supply in open kitchens.