ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF UNCONTROLLED AMMONIA RELEASE FROM A TANK WITH DIFFERENT SPATIAL CONFIGURATIONS

Ammonia (NH₃) is widely used as a refrigerant in industrial refrigeration systems due to its highenergy efficiency and favourable thermodynamic properties. However, it is a hazardous substancewith toxic and irritating effects, and its uncontrolled release can pose a serious threat to humanhealth, life, and the safety of installations. This study analyses an accident scenario involving the lossof containment of an ammonia storage vessel using ALOHA, a software commonly employed forassessing chemical accident consequences. The analysis considered various emergency orifice sizesand different meteorological and seasonal conditions that significantly influence the dispersion ofthe hazardous substance. Based on the simulations, the extents of toxic hazard zones correspondingto AEGL-1, AEGL-2, and AEGL-3 levels were determined and used for human health risk assessment.The results indicate that the size of the leakage orifice is the primary factor determining the scale ofthe accidental event, while atmospheric conditions significantly affect the spread of the toxic cloud.These findings can be applied in occupational risk assessment, hazard zone classification, and theplanning of preventive and organisational measures in facilities subject to occupational health, safety,and ATEX requirements.