In our December issue of LNG Industry, a conversation with Alec Cusick, Owens Corning®, showcases passive safety strategies that help mitigate the risk of cascading events in LNG facilities.
Impoundment basins within LNG facilities exist as a last resort safety measure to contain an unexpected spill of material. If these basins become full of LNG, they begin to give off invisible, flammable natural gas vapours as they warm up to ambient temperatures. If these vapours drift enough to come into contact with an ignition source, the results can pose significant risks to the facility and surroundings – potentially damaging critical infrastructure and putting lives at risk.
Cryogenic spills may be rare in the LNG industry, but their impact is anything but small. In any LNG spill, three key priorities need attention and preparation. These include reducing the vaporisation of liquid hydrocarbons, minimising radiant heat should a fire occur, and protecting against thermal shock to the concrete and rebar of a basin.
In a recent LNG Industry webinar, Alec Cusick, Technical Lead, Owens Corning, discussed how full scale testing recently completed at Texas A&M University is providing insights to support passive fire safety at LNG processing facilities.1 In this interview with Andrew Eyring, Product Manager at Owens Corning, Alec considers systems that can be put in place to defend against a cascading event.
Why are the three key priorities during a cryogenic spill so important?
Alec: In the event of a spill or release of LNG, there are invisible vapours that may drift from a spill or containment pool. If they come in contact with an ignition source, there is the recipe for a large scale incident. If these vapours can be reduced, we can minimise the potential for a pool fire and the chance that these vapours will drift off site and ignite.
If a fire does ignite, it becomes the primary source of heat that accelerates the vaporisation of the liquid hydrocarbons, thereby fuelling the fire. It is a self-propagating reaction that can escalate a situation and lead to a cascading event. Reducing the size of a potential fire will result in less radiant heat, thus reducing the likelihood of a cascading event.
Lastly, we want to help protect the rebar and concrete in the basin. LNG is cooled to a temperature of -162°C (-260°F). Those cold temperatures can alter the structural integrity of the basin, causing micro-fracturing in the concrete and embrittlement in the steel. Carbon steel can start to become embrittled at temperatures as high as -29°C (-20°F), potentially reducing the structural strength of key elements.
What exactly are cascading events?
Alec: Cascading events refer to a scenario where a single incident leads to complications that can compound into a larger disaster. In the case of an LNG pool fire, a cascading event could occur if the heat from said fire compromised nearby storage tanks, structural steel, or other critical parts of the facility. In essence, protecting against cascading events means designing a system in a way that one problem will not lead to multiple, greater problems.
There are several approaches to help protect against cascading events. This includes moving the impoundment basin away from tanks and piping, increasing basin depth to reduce surface area, or installing a high-expansion foam system to reduce thermal radiation. However, some of these methods may not be practical for certain facilities depending on land availability and proximity of nearby equipment.
Owens Corning has developed two passive fire protection systems to help the LNG industry reduce the dangers of pool fires in new or existing facilities, one called the FOAMGLAS® PFSTM (Pool Fire Suppression) System – Generation 2, and the other called the FOAMGLAS® Cryo SpillTM System.
The FOAMGLAS Cryo Spill System provides thermal shock protection for the basin’s concrete and steel rebar while simultaneously reducing LNG vaporisation.
The FOAMGLAS PFS System – Generation 2 provides reduction of LNG vaporisation during a spill, as well as a reduction in radiant heat during a pool fire event.
While each system is designed to operate independently, using them together enhances overall performance and safety. When integrated, they provide a robust and comprehensive solution for managing cryogenic spills and fire suppression, offering layered protection across multiple risk scenarios.
So, how do the systems work? Can you run us through what they look like?
Alec: Understanding how the systems are applied can provide insights into how they function. The FOAMGLAS PFS System – Generation 2 is constructed at the bottom of a basin. The system uses FOAMGLAS cellular glass insulation modules clad with stainless steel. These modules are installed on top of a grating system to keep the modules above the floor, allowing for drainage. When LNG enters the basin, the buoyant modules float on top of the liquid and rise with the level of LNG. This action provides an insulating cap on top of the liquid, which decreases the rate of vaporisation. In the case of ignition, the FOAMGLAS PFS System will insulate the cryogenic liquid from the radiant heat of the pool fire above. This significantly reduces the rate of vaporisation during a fire event, leading to significantly smaller flame length and radiant heat generated.
The FOAMGLAS Cryo Spill System uses FOAMGLAS cellular glass insulation to insulate the walls and bottom of a spill basin, protecting the basin’s structure against the thermal shock of cryogenic liquids. It slows vaporisation along the walls and liquid surface, reducing the fuel available to a fire, which can help reduce the risk of a cascading event.
The FOAMGLAS Cryo Spill System and FOAMGLAS PFS System – Generation 2 can be combined to further mitigate the hazards associated with a potential pool fire. A vapour cloud that originates from an LNG spill can be quite large. Still, when the two systems are utilised, that vapour cloud can become more manageable.
Again, in the case of ignition, the FOAMGLAS PFS System insulates the cryogenic liquid from the radiant heat of the pool fire above which reduces the rate of vaporisation, leading to smaller flame length and reduced radiant heat generation.
These systems can be placed in existing basins without the need for new mechanical, electrical, or plumbing installs. They can be used to complement existing mitigation systems that are currently in place.
Conclusion
For LNG spills, there is a clear need to both contain the incident and stop it from spiralling into something much worse. Defending against a cascading event means thinking beyond immediate clean up and addressing the chain reactions that can threaten people, infrastructure, and operations. The right systems in place can mean the difference between a controlled event and a costly, dangerous escalation.
References
‘A Passive Approach to Pool Fire Suppression & Cryogenic Liquid Spill Protection’, LNG Industry and Owens Corning, (2025), www.lngindustry.com/webinars/owens-corning/pool-fire-suppression-cryogenic-liquid-spill-protection
Read the rest of this abridged article in the full issue here!