Numerical simulation and environmental impact assessment of oil vapor diffusion in surrounding residential areas before/after vapor recovery at petrol stations

ABSTRACT

Oil vapor emitted during refueling process has caused serious issues of air pollution, especially the environmental impact in surrounding residential areas. Most petrol stations have installed oil vapor recovery systems, but some stations did not properly maintain or switch on them. With the increasing emphasis on ecological environmental protection, it is more crucial to investigate the internal mechanism of vapor-air mass transfer. In this study, a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model was developed and verified to analyze the effects of wind speed, vehicles number, and residential layout on oil vapor diffusion in residential areas. Simultaneously, the effectiveness of oil vapor recovery was assessed by comparing contamination before and after recovery. Results indicate that wind speed greatly affects the area and location of excess emission areas (EEAs). As the wind speed increases from 2 m/s to 4 m/s, highest concentration, distance to buildings and width of EEAs decreases by 49.1%, 43.8%, and 33.3%, respectively, and EEAs disappear at the wind speed of 6 m/s. Vehicles number has a more significant effect on the symmetry of EEAs, and EEAs become gradually symmetrical as the number increases from 3 to 12. Further, the enclosure layout proves to be an effective layout for protecting residential air, with a minimum concentration of 0.18 mg/m³. Notably, the effectiveness of oil vapor recovery is remarkable, with a purification rate of 98.5%. These findings can offer a valuable guidance for controlling air pollution in residential areas and enhancing the environmental protection level of petroleum enterprises.

KEYWORDS:

• Petrol station
• oil vapor recovery
• vapor-air mass transfer
• atmosphere environment
• numerical simulations
• wind tunnel experiments

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work is supported by the Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province [KYCX23_3141, KYCX23_3029, SJCX23_1571].

Notes on contributors

Cheng Zhang

Cheng Zhang has been persuing a Master’s degree of Changzhou University since 2021. His research areas inlude safety and environmental protection in the petroleum Industry.

Weiqiu Huang

Weiqiu Huang is a full professor at Changzhou University. His research areas inlude oil vapor recovery and oil vapor traceability.

Xufei Li

Xufei Li is a lecturer at Changzhou University. His research area includes development of absorbing materials.

Xinya Wang

Xinya Wang has been pursuing a Ph.D degree of Changzhou University since 2021. Her research area includes development of absorbing materials.

Ziqiang Xu

Ziqiang Xu is a senior engineering of Changqing Oilfield Branch of CNPC. His research area include environmental protection for oilfield process.

Qin Yang

Qin Yang is a senior engineering of Changqing Oilfield Branch of CNPC. Her research area includes environmental protection of oilfield process.

Gao Zhang

Gao Zhang has been pursuing a Master’s degree of Changzhou University since 2018. His research area includes safety and environmental protection in the petroleum industry.

Yuqian Ge

Yuqian Ge has been pursuing a Master’s degree of Changzhou University since 2021. Her research area includes safety and environmental protection in the petroleum industry.

Ning Zhou

Ning Zhou is a full professor at Changzhou University. His research area includes safety assessment of chemical process.

Xiangyu Kong

Xiangyu Kong has been pursuing a Master’sdegree of Changzhou Universty since 2022. His research area includes safety and environmental protection in the petroleum industry.