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Advanced 3 days

Consequence and Dispersion Modelling Training

What the model is solving, and why two runs of the same release disagree

Consequence software is easy to run and easy to run wrongly. Delegates learn the physics behind discharge, dispersion, fire and explosion models, then work through the input choices that change a result by an order of magnitude without any warning from the software.

This course sits alongside our Consequence and Dispersion Modelling consulting work, so what is taught is what we do.

Who should attend

Engineers who run consequence models or interpret their output
QRA practitioners and safety case authors
Emergency planners setting evacuation and shelter distances
Reviewers who need to challenge modelling submitted by others

Course content

Every module is taught with worked examples and exercises drawn from real plant, and adapted to your own process where the course runs in house.

1

Source terms

  • Gas, liquid and two phase discharge and the choice between them
  • Flashing releases and rainout
  • Time varying releases against the steady state assumption
  • Hole size selection and its effect on everything downstream
2

Dispersion

  • Neutrally buoyant and dense gas behaviour
  • Atmospheric stability, surface roughness and averaging time
  • Building wake, terrain and confinement effects
  • Where an integral model stops being appropriate and CFD is needed
3

Fires

  • Pool fire, jet fire, flash fire and fireball characterisation
  • Thermal radiation and view factor
  • Escalation thresholds for equipment and structures
4

Explosions

  • Vapour cloud explosion models and congestion assessment
  • Overpressure and impulse, and why both matter for damage
  • Confined and unconfined behaviour and the lessons from Buncefield
  • BLEVE and physical explosion
5

Toxic effects

  • Dose and probit relationships
  • Exposure endpoints such as AEGL, ERPG and IDLH and when each applies
  • Indoor infiltration and shelter in place assumptions
6

Modelling practice

  • Sensitivity runs that reveal what the answer depends on
  • Documenting inputs so another engineer can reproduce the result
  • Validating output against incident data and against judgement

What you receive

  • A modelling input record template that makes assumptions explicit
  • Worked source term and dispersion calculations
  • A sensitivity study on a common release scenario
  • Assessment result and attendance record

What changes afterwards

  • Modelling results come with stated assumptions rather than a screenshot
  • Engineers recognise when a model is being used outside its validity
  • Emergency distances rest on defensible endpoint selection
  • Reviews of contractor modelling become substantive

Standards and references

We teach Consequence and Dispersion Modelling Training against CCPS Guidelines for Consequence Analysis of Chemical Releases and the codes listed with it, at the edition current when you run it.

CCPS Guidelines for Consequence Analysis of Chemical ReleasesCCPS Guidelines for Vapor Cloud Explosion, Pressure Vessel Burst, BLEVE and Flash Fire HazardsYellow Book CPR 14E methods for the calculation of physical effectsAPI RP 521 for flare radiation and dispersion

Run Consequence and Dispersion Modelling Training for your team

We will come back with dates, the pre-reading it needs and a cost per head. Tell us who is attending, what they already do day to day and whether you want it at your site or delivered online.

Ask about dates and cost