One of the methods contemplated for reducing the potential spill hazards posed by large accidental spills of energy fluids such as Liquefied Natural Gas is to reduce the quantity of spill or prolong the duration of spill of a given volume. These are to be achieved by appropriate changes in the design of ships. To assess the potential hazards from spills of various sizes and spill rates using existing models, classification of spills into instantaneous and continuous types are essential. A time criterion is derived which differentiates the spills into the two classes. If the dimensionless duration of spill is less than 2 #xD7; 10#x2212;3the spill is classified as instantaneous spill. It is seen that this cross-over time is essentially indpendent of LNG spill volumes in the range 1000#x2013;50,000 m3.
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