23.1 INTRODUCTION

During the late 1970s, when energy prices were escalating, a primary energy resource was the importation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Middle East using cryogenic transport vessels. A concern was the consequence of an accidental release of LNG during the off-loading from a transport to onshore storage facilities. Minimal information was available regarding the behavior of such a release, and efforts were undertaken by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop mathematical models based on large-scale controlled releases of LNG under different conditions to understand the dynamics of such an event. To conduct large-scale experiments of a potentially lethal substance such as LNG required access to a relatively isolated location with adequate control to exclude nonessential personnel.

The first two LNG experiments series performed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) under contract to the DOE were conducted at the Naval Weapons Center (NWC), China Lake, California. After completion of these two field studies, it was decided to build a permanent facility with capabilities of larger releases with better control. The U.S. Congress funded the construction of such a facility, called the Liquefied Gaseous Fuels Spill Test Facility (LGFSTF). The site selected was located on Frenchman Flat (a dry lakebed) at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) because of the persistent wind direction and its isolation from population centers. By the time the...