The wind tunnel at the CHRC incorporates a fan for producing low speed airflow and an 11,200 cubic foot working area for testing LNG facility designs.

The physical and chemical properties of LNG make it a safe fuel to handle and store. However, before any new LNG import terminal can be built, it must undergo a stringent permitting process that includes an analysis of the potential safety hazards associated with a hypothetical release of LNG. These analyses are used to determine the safety or “exclusion” zones around the proposed facility. The Liquefied Natural Gas Program is supporting an effort to improve and expand the capabilities of the dispersion model required by federal regulation for determining exclusion zones. Using the specially designed wind tunnel located at the Chemical Hazards Research Center (CHRC) of the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, researchers are seeking to better understand and model the fate of LNG, if released.

Output from dispersion models such as the CHRC's Finite Element Model (FEM3A) provide useful information for assessing the potential risk of a hypothetical LNG release to the environment. Past studies have shown that the potential hazards associated with LNG are far less than for other hydrocarbon fuels (e.g., gasoline, fuel oil, or liquid propane gas) but with the expected expansion in new facilities and infrastructure, it is important that all potential risks are accounted for and quantified as best as possible. The Liquefied Natural Gas Program and its partners are investigating the potential risk of an LNG release.