GeoClaw-ArcGIS Integration for Advanced Modeling of Overland Hydrocarbon Plumes

Modeling of overland hydrocarbon plumes for hazardous liquids High Consequence Area (HCA) analysis tends to be low fidelity. Model complexity and computational costs hinder operators’ ability to use high-fidelity simulations for HCA analysis (required by Title 49 CFR §195.452). We present new GeoClaw developments to achieve detailed simulations of overland plumes from pipeline and tank ruptures. GeoClaw solves the depth-averaged shallow-water equations for flow over varying topography. Developed to compute highly transient flows for tsunami hazard modeling and storm-surge forecasting, GeoClaw is under public license (BSD 2-Clause) allowing all uses, including commercial. Our enhancements enable GeoClaw to model hydrocarbons and include integration with ArcGIS, and Microsoft Azure for scalability. Our ArcGIS Pro Python toolbox allows simulations to be set up and initialized in ArcGIS Pro. Time-series results are returned from Azure in netCDF format for ArcGIS Pro visualization. Our workflow is compatible with Jupyter and ArcGIS notebooks, enabling rapid simulation prototyping. ArcGIS Pro integration facilitates use of Esri Living Atlas layers for topographic input into simulations.