Question: In a chemical plant, a cylinder containing 500 kg of methanol (an alcohol) explodes and gives rise to a fireball. A worker is working 35m away from the cylinder.

a) The fireball is so sudden and shocking that the worker cannot escape to a safe place and is thus exposed to the heat of fireball for the entire duration of the fireball. Using the fireball model, calculate the probability of the worker dying from burns? (5 pts)

b) In case the cylinder leaks and results in a pool fire instead of fireball. Using the point source model, calculate the probability of death if the worker should run 50m to reach a safe spot. The pool diameter is 10m. Further, assume that during the escape the worker is exposed to a constant heat flux. (5 pts)

Information:

Burning rate of methanol m = 0.017 (kg/m².s)

Heat of combustion of methanol = 20,000 (kJ/kg)

(or kb) of methanol = 100 (-1) Fraction of total energy radiated of methanol f = 0.15

Vapor density of methanol = 1.1 (kg/m³)

Reaction time in case of pool fire tr = 3 (s)

Escape speed in case of pool fire u = 4 (m/s)