Thermophysical properties of the corrugated cryogenic hose precooling process

Abstract

This paper presents research on the thermophysical properties of an LNG-conveying corrugated cryogenic hose during the precooling process. A numerical model consisting of the k−ϵ turbulent model with enhanced wall treatment and the Volume of Fluid method is established to simulate the cryogenic multiphase flow, along with the energy equation to capture the thermal conduction and convection process. In addition to the analysis of physical phenomena under a specific precooling working condition, parametric studies on the effects of inlet LNG velocity and initial hose temperature on the cooling rate, boiling regime, and structural temperature gradients are carried out. The simulations successfully capture boiling regime transition and discover its significance on the cooling rate. Correlations of structural temperature gradient with the assessed parameters are identified. The findings of this work serve to enhance understanding of the corrugated hose precooling thermophysics in order to guide safer and more efficient industrial operations.

Keywords

• Corrugated hose
• Cryogenics
• Precooling
• Thermophysics
• Multiphase flow
• Boiling