Accidental releases and COMAH

CERC carries out a wide variety of assessments to look into the likely impact of accidental releases to air. These scenarios are often complex, requiring investigation of emission characteristics and the dispersion pathways under different meteorological conditions, as well as the use of CERC's models.

Consideration of accidental releases may be required for Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) assessments to plan for emergency situations, such as warehouse fires or chemical incidents, or to further examine the impacts of accidents that have already taken place.

Depending on the nature of the release, either CERC's industrial pollution model ADMS or dense gas model GASTAR (or a combination) may be used. If the initial source of the release is a liquid spill, CERC's model LSMS may be used to determine emission rates to air.

This technique was recently used by CERC to support the planning and implementation of a COMAH exercise involving the emergency services. The spillage, evaporation and dispersion of LNG (liquefied natural gas) were modelled using LSMS and GASTAR. Model outputs were compared with flammability limits and provided in a quick-reference format.

CERC has worked behind the scenes on several recent high profile legal cases. We can provide expert advice and Expert Witness services to support our findings.