Effects of scale and oil/water layer thickness on boilover behavior in crude oil storage tanks

doi:10.16265/j.cnki.issn1003-3033.2026.09.1122

Abstract

Abstract:

To reveal the effects of scale and oil/water layer thickness on the boilover behavior of crude oil storage tanks, this study designed and constructed an experimental platform with crude oil storage tanks of 4 different scales to systematically conduct boilover experiments under different scales and oil/water layer thicknesses. The analysis focused on boilover onset time and behavioral characteristics, oil temperature distribution and hot wave propagation rate, heat flux, and mass-related parameters. A relationship between the hot wave propagation rate and the mass burning rate was established, and the applicability of existing boilover onset time prediction models was evaluated. The results show that as tank size increases, boilover onset time grows linearly, while hot wave propagation rate increases nonlinearly, reaching 85.4% of the full-scale propagation rate at 66.7% scale, and the boilover safety distance also increases significantly with tank scale. Regarding boilover behavior, small-scale experiments mainly displayed continuous jetting, whereas large-scale experiments exhibited tumbling overflow and spreading combustion. In large-scale experiments, the effect of oil/water layer thickness on oil temperature at the same elevation was insignificant. However, with increasing oil layer thickness and decreasing water layer thickness, boilover onset time is prolonged, the proportion of overflowed fuel relative to the remaining fuel increases, and boilover intensity increases, with oil layer thickness exerting a more pronounced influence than water layer thickness.

Key words: scale, oil/water layer thickness, crude oil storage tanks, boilover behavior, boilover onset time, hot wave propagation rate

CLC Number:

X937

Li Yueyang, Li Mingze, Jing Qi, Li Yuntao, Luan Guohua, Li Xin. Effects of scale and oil/water layer thickness on boilover behavior in crude oil storage tanks[J]. China Safety Science Journal, 2026, 36(9): 157-166.

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序号	储罐直径D/cm	储罐高度H/cm	油层厚度h₀/cm	水层厚度h_w/cm	油水比η	相对尺度/%
1	20	8	2.7	1.3	约2∶1	13.3
2	50	20	6.7	3.3		33.3
3	100	40	13.4	6.6		66.7
4	150	60	20	10		100
5			30	10	3∶1	—
6			20	20	1∶1
7			30	20	3∶2

性质	数值
密度(20 ℃)/(g/m³)	0.839
黏度(20 ℃)/(mPa·s)	3.404
含水率/%	0.4
初馏点/℃	32

相对尺度/%	平均实际沸溢时间/min	谭家磊模型		樊海燕模型		杨大伟模型
相对尺度/%	平均实际沸溢时间/min	计算值	偏差/%	计算值	偏差/%	计算值	偏差/%
13.3	10.8	13.1	-17.6	17.7	-38.9	10.3	4.9
33.3	19.7	32.3	-39.0	29.0	-32.1	17.5	12.6
66.7	36.5	54.1	-32.5	43.8	-16.7	23.2	57.3
100	46.8	70.5	-33.6	55.9	-16.3	29.5	58.6