Two-phase heat transfer and pressure drop of LNG during saturated flow boiling in a horizontal tube

Two-phase heat transfer and pressure drop of LNG (liquefied natural gas) have been measured in a horizontal smooth tube with an inner diameter of 8 mm. The experiments were conducted at inlet pressures from 0.3 to 0.7 MPa with a heat flux of 8–36 kW m⁻², and mass flux of 49.2–201.8 kg m⁻² s⁻¹. The effect of vapor quality, inlet pressure, heat flux and mass flux on the heat transfer characteristic are discussed. The comparisons of the experimental data with the predicted value by existing correlations are analyzed. Zou et al. (2010) correlation shows the best accuracy with 24.1% RMS deviation among them. Moreover four frictional pressure drop methods are also chosen to compare with the experimental database.     

Analysis of temperature and pressure changes in liquefied natural gas (LNG) cryogenic tanks

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is being developed as a transportation fuel for heavy vehicles such as trucks and transit buses, to lessen the dependency on oil and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The LNG stations are properly designed to prevent the venting of natural gas (NG) from LNG tanks, which can cause evaporative greenhouse gas emissions and result in fluctuations of fuel flow and changes of fuel composition. Boil-off is caused by the heat added into the LNG fuel during the storage and fueling. Heat can leak into the LNG fuel through the shell of tank during the storage and through hoses and dispensers during the fueling. Gas from tanks onboard vehicles, when returned to LNG tanks, can add additional heat into the LNG fuel. A thermodynamic and heat transfer model has been developed to analyze different mechanisms of heat leak into the LNG fuel. The evolving of properties and compositions of LNG fuel inside LNG tanks is simulated. The effect of a number of buses fueled each day on the possible total fuel loss rate has been analyzed. It is found that by increasing the number of buses, fueled each day, the total fuel loss rate can be reduced significantly. It is proposed that an electric generator be used to consume the boil-off gas or a liquefier be used to re-liquefy the boil-off gas to reduce the tank pressure and eliminate fuel losses. These approaches can prevent boil-off of natural gas emissions, and reduce the costs of LNG as transportation fuel.     

Investigation of forced flow boiling of nitrogen in a long vertical tube

The results of experimental investigations of nitrogen boiling in a vertical tube 1850 mm long id 10 mm, are presented. It has been established that compared with pool boiling, heat flux and pressure effects are somewhat less pronounced and the boiling curve hysteresis phenomenon is missing. The transition from the subcooled boiling region to saturated boiling is shown not to be accompanied by a change of heat transfer intensity. Experimental data obtained over the entire range of parameters (p = 1.8–7.0 bar, G = 170–750 kg m^?2 s^?1, q = 10 200-42 720 W m^?2) are correlated by an equation.     

Experimental study on the flow and heat transfer characteristics of a tetra-n-butyl ammonium bromide hydrate slurry (second report: Heat transfer characteristics)

The heat transfer characteristics of a tetra-n-butyl ammonium bromide hydrate slurry were investigated where the Reynolds number, tube diameters and solid fraction were varied as experimental parameters. For laminar flow, it was found that the ratio of Nusselt numbers increased with solid fraction. An approximation of Nusselt number could be derived using the Graetz number on the basis of the apparent Reynolds number, the solid fraction and the ratio of the average diameter of the hydrate particles to the test tube diameter. For turbulent flow conditions, the ratio of Nusselt numbers had a value of one for each condition at low solid fractions. The ratio of Nusselt numbers increased with solid fraction in the high solid fraction region. Moreover, the apparent Reynolds number, which can be derived by treating the hydrate slurry as a pseudoplastic fluid, can be used to determine the condition under which hydrate slurry heat transfer characteristics vary under turbulent flow.     

铝合金液化天然气罐式集装箱的设计

液化天然气罐式集装箱是运输液化天然气的重要设备。文章介绍了铝合金液化天然气罐式集装箱的设计参数,针对罐体内筒主体材料采用铝合金复合材料及焊接结构进行探讨,并分析了内筒采用5083铝合金的效益优势。     

Heat transfer characteristics of cryogenic helium gas through a miniature tube with a large temperature difference

Heat transfer with a large temperature difference between the inlet and outlet flows is often encountered in many cryogenic systems. The heat transfer characteristics of cryogenic gas with temperature-dependent thermophysical properties (TDTP) are different from those in the ambient condition with constant thermophysical properties. In this paper, a combined experimental and numerical study has been conducted to determine the heat transfer characteristics of cryogenic helium gas with temperature-dependent thermophysical properties in a miniature tube. In order to validate the theoretical model, an experimental investigation was conducted. Utilizing the validated model with the FLUENT software, the temperature distribution and velocity profile in a miniature tube have been calculated, and a correlation predicting the temperature effect on the Nusselt number determined.     

Experimental investigation of forced flow boiling of nitrogen in a horizontal corrugated stainless steel tube

Experimental investigation is performed on the heat transfer characteristics of forced flow boiling of saturated liquid nitrogen (LN₂) in a horizontal corrugated stainless steel tube with a 17.6 mm maximum inner diameter. The local heat transfer coefficients (HTCs) are measured at two mass flow rates with a wide range of wall heat fluxes. The effects of the heat flux, mass flow flux and vapor quality on the two-phase heat transfer characteristics are discussed. The results reveal that the local HTCs increase with the heat flux and mass flow flux. The measured local HTCs present a strong dependence on the heat flux. The circumferential averages of the HTCs for the present corrugated tube are compared with the empirical correlations proposed for the smooth tubes, and the results show that the heat transfer is enhanced due to the area augmentation.     

Convective heat transfer coefficients for near-horizontal two-phase flow of nitrogen and hydrogen at low mass and heat flux

Correlations for convective heat transfer coefficients are reported for two-phase flow of nitrogen and hydrogen under low mass and heat flux conditions. The range of flowrates, heat flux and tube diameter are representative of thermodynamic vent systems (TVSs) planned for propellant tank pressure control in spacecraft operating over long durations in microgravity environments. Experiments were conducted in normal gravity with a 1.5° upflow configuration. The Nusselt number exhibits peak values near transition from laminar to turbulent flow based on the vapor Reynolds number. This transition closely coincides with a flow pattern transition from plug to slug flow. The Nusselt number was correlated using components of the Martinelli parameter and a liquid-only Froude number. Separate correlating equations were fitted to the laminar liquid/laminar vapor and laminar liquid/turbulent vapor flow data. The correlations give root-mean-squared (rms) prediction errors within 15%.     

Impact of selected parameters on refrigerant flow boiling heat transfer and pressure drop in minichannels

This paper presents results concerning flow boiling heat transfer in a rectangular minichannel 1 mm deep, 40 mm wide and 360 mm long. The refrigerant flowing in the minichannel, Fluorinert FC-72, was heated by a thin foil microstructured on the side in contact with the fluid. Two types of microstructured surfaces were used: one with evenly distributed microcavities and the other with non-uniformly distributed minicavities. Liquid crystal thermography was applied to determine the temperature of the smooth side of the foil. The paper analyses mainly the impact of the microstructured heating surface and orientation of the minichanel on the heat transfer coefficient and two phase pressure drop. This required calculating the local values of heat transfer coefficient and measuring the pressure drop for different positions of the minichannel with enhanced heating wall. Moreover, the effects of selected thermal and flow parameters (mass flux density and inlet pressure), the geometric parameters, and the type of cooling liquid on the nucleate boiling heat transfer is studied. From the measurement results it is evident that applying a microstructured surface caused an increase in the heat transfer coefficient, which was approximately twice as high as that reported for the smooth surface. The highest values of the coefficient were observed for position 90° (the vertical minichannel) and position 0° (the horizontal minichannel), whereas the lowest were reported for position 180° (the horizontal minichannel). The experimental data concerning the two-phase flow pressure drop was compared with the calculation results obtained by applying nine correlations known from the literature. It is reported that most of the correlations can be used to predict the two-phase flow pressure drop gradient within an acceptable error limit (±30%) only for positions 90° and 135° (the vertical and inclined minichannels, respectively). The lowest agreement between the experimental data and the theoretical predictions was reported for the horizontal positions of the minichannel.     

The trans-critical heat transfer characteristics of LNG in a submerged combustion vaporizer under different operating pressures

It has been reported that trans-critical LNG vaporization process always occurs on the tube-side of typical submerged combustion vaporizer (SCV). In-depth analysis of this complex physical process is crucial for the stable operation of efficient SCV. In the present paper, a three-dimensional CFD numerical model was developed to analyze the flow and heat transfer characteristics of trans-critical LNG in the horizontal tube. Based on the numerical simulation results, the velocity, temperature and heat flux along the tube length were obtained. The distributions of local heat transfer coefficients under different operating pressures were also analyzed. The calculated results displayed that the representative phenomenon of “flow acceleration” occurs inside the horizontal serpentine tube. Affected by the variation of the physical properties, the heat transfer coefficient under the lower operating pressure was higher around pseudo-critical region, but decreased lower in the later field. Totally, the higher operating pressure may bring faster temperature rising and lower energy expenditure to reach the similar outlet temperature.     

A note on the Chen correlation of saturated flow boiling heat transfer

The Chen (Ind. Eng. Chem. Process Des. Dev., 1966, 5(3): 322–329) correlation of saturated flow boiling heat transfer is one of the most influential flow boiling heat transfer correlations. It adopted the additive concept and incorporated the Reynolds number factor F and the suppression factor S. Chen presented F and S as the best-fit curves without any parametric equation. However, the parametric equations of F and S were widely used in citing the Chen work, among which some were not accurate, and some had typos in the original sources and then used by others. The objective of this paper is to point out the incorrect and inaccurate equations in the literature. For this purpose, the existing expressions of F and S in the available literature are presented and compared with the Chen best-fit curves. The work provides a reference for the correct use of the Chen correlation.     

Local boiling heat transfer characteristics of ammonia/water binary mixture in a vertical plate evaporator

The next-generation energy production systems are expected to be based on ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) and discharged thermal energy conversion (DTEC). These systems use a plate-type evaporator and ammonia or an ammonia/water mixture as a working fluid. It is important to clarify heat transfer characteristics for designing efficient power generation systems. Measurements of local boiling heat transfer coefficients and visualizations were performed for an ammonia/water mixture (z = 0.9) on a vertical flat plate heat exchanger at a range of mass fluxes (7.5-15 kg m⁻² s⁻¹), heat fluxes (15-23 kW m⁻²), and pressures (0.7-0.9 MPa). The results show that in the case of an ammonia/water mixture, the local heat transfer coefficients increase with an increase in the vapor quality and mass flux and decrease with an increase in the heat flux. The influence of the flow pattern on the local heat transfer coefficient is also observed.     

Flow boiling heat transfer coefficients at cryogenic temperatures for multi-component refrigerant mixtures of nitrogen–hydrocarbons

The recuperative heat exchanger governs the overall performance of the mixed refrigerant Joule–Thomson cryocooler. In these heat exchangers, the non-azeotropic refrigerant mixture of nitrogen–hydrocarbons undergoes boiling and condensation simultaneously at cryogenic temperature. Hence, the design of such heat exchanger is crucial. However, due to lack of empirical correlations to predict two-phase heat transfer coefficients of multi-component mixtures at low temperature, the design of such heat exchanger is difficult.The present study aims to assess the existing methods for prediction of flow boiling heat transfer coefficients. Many correlations are evaluated against available experimental data of flow boiling of refrigerant mixtures. Silver-Bell-Ghaly correlation and Granryd correlation are found to be more suitable to estimate local heat transfer coefficients. A modified Granryd correlation is recommended for further use.     

Heat transfer intensity at forced flow boiling of cryogenic liquids in tubes

A generalized correlation for heat transfer with forced flow boiling of cryogenic liquids (nitrogen, hydrogen and neon) in tubes is presented. The correlation describes, with a ± 35% accuracy, all known experimental data for vertical and horizontal channels (without stratified regimes) in the pressure range 0.9 – 22 bar, mass flow rates from 20 to 2200 kg m^?2 S^?1, and heat fluxes from 400 to 210 000 W m^?2. The boundary line between channels of a large and a small diameter has been established; a simple method of taking into account the higher heat transfer intensity in capillaries has been suggested.     

Pool boiling heat transfer of carbon dioxide on a horizontal tube

Carbon dioxide is again becoming an important refrigerant. While the thermophysical properties are well known there is a lack of data on its heat transfer characteristics.

In this study, heat transfer coefficients for nucleate boiling of carbon dioxide are determined using a standard apparatus for the investigation of pool boiling based on a set-up from Karlsruhe [D. Gorenflo, J. Goetz, K. Bier. Vorschlag für eine Standard-Apparatur zur Messung des Wärmeübergangs beim Blasensieden. Wärme-und Stoffübertragung 16 (1982), 69–78; J. Goetz, Entwicklung und Erprobung einer Normapparatur zur Messung des Wärmeübergangs beim Blasensieden. Dissertation Universität Karlsruhe (1980).] and built at our institute. Electrically heated horizontal cylinders with an outer diameter of 16 mm and a length of 100 mm are used as heating elements. Measurements with constant heat flux are performed for different wall materials and surface roughnesses. The heat transfer is investigated within the pressure range of 0.53≤ p ≤1.43 MPa (0.072≤ p/p_c ≤0.190) and a temperature range of −56≤ t ≤−30 °C, respectively. Heat fluxes of up to 80,000 W m⁻² are applied.

The influences of wall material and roughness on the heat transfer coefficient are evaluated separately. The obtained coefficients are compared to generally accepted correlations and to experimental results of other authors, who used similar configurations with copper tubes and carbon dioxide. These are the only previous experimental data, which could be found. Results for copper, stainless steel and aluminium as wall materials are presented.     

Investigation on performances of non-loss storage for cryogenic liquefied gas

In this paper, effects of liquid volume fraction, temperature and work pressure in cryogenic vessels on the pressure rise rates in cryogenic vessels are analyzed. Graphs of the relation between storage-pressure and heat flow received by the container per unit of volume for various volume fractions are proposed, and also graphs of the relation between time and pressure of non-loss storage for various volume fractions are presented. The best volume fraction is defined. Also, the graphs of the relation between environmental temperature and the performance of non-loss storage are proposed. In addition, the phenomenon of liquid-temperature layering is analyzed and methods to reduce this layering are suggested. These results have significance in the design, usage and selection of cryogenic vessels.     

An experimental study into the evaporation heat transfer and flow characteristics of R-134a refrigerant flowing through corrugated tubes

The effects of corrugation pitch on the evaporation of R-134a flowing inside horizontal corrugated tubes are investigated. The test section is a tube-in-tube heat exchanger with refrigerant flowing in the inner tube and hot water flowing in the annulus. Smooth and corrugated tubes having similar inside diameters are used as the inner tube. Three corrugated tubes having a corrugation depth fixed at 1.5 mm and corrugation pitches of 5.08, 6.35 and 8.46 mm are examined. The data obtained from smooth tube are plotted and compared with the flow pattern map established by Censi et al. (2003) and Zurcher et al. (2002). The effects of average vapour quality, equivalent Reynolds number and corrugation pitch are discussed. The maximum ratios of heat transfer enhancement factor to pressure drop penalty factor (Nu_c/Nu_s)/((ΔP/L)_c/(ΔP/L)_s) is approximately 1.2.     

Review of correlations of flow boiling heat transfer coefficients for carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) has quite different flow boiling heat transfer characteristics from conventional refrigerants due to its much higher reduced pressures that make its thermodynamic and transport properties very different. There were some studies evaluating the correlations of flow boiling heat transfer coefficient for CO₂. However, either the number of correlations covered or the number of data used was limited, resulting in inconsistent conclusions. This work presents a comparative review of existing correlations for flow boiling heat transfer coefficient of CO₂. There are 34 correlations analyzed and evaluated using 2956 experimental data points of CO₂ flow boiling heat transfer from 10 independent laboratories. The Fang (2013) correlation performs best with a mean absolute deviation of 15.5%. The evaluation analysis sets a channel transition criterion for flow boiling heat transfer of CO₂. Several topics worthy of attention for future studies are identified.     

The study of entropy generation during flow boiling in a micro-fin tube

Increasing in the heat transfer rate in flow boiling is a common and key issue for engineers. Generally, the heat transfer coefficient augmentation methods are divided into two main categories (active and passive methods). In passive methods the increase in heat transfer rate causes the increase in pressure drop. In order to evaluate the contribution of heat transfer and pressure drop mechanisms, the entropy generation analysis is used. In this paper, the entropy generation in micro-fin tube is investigated under flow boiling condition. The effect of different geometrical parameters and flow conditions is discussed on pressure drop contribution and heat transfer one in entropy generation, irreversibility distribution ratio (IDR) and Bejan number (Be). The frictional pressure drop and heat transfer coefficient in the micro-fin tube and the helically coiled one are compared as two enhancements passive heat transfer methods with the smooth straight tube in the literatures. Therefore, by introducing entropy generation number (N_s), the favorable geometry between the micro-fin tube and the helically coiled one with respect to the smooth straight tube is recognizable at equivalent boundary conditions.     

Flow pattern and heat transfer characteristics during flow boiling of CO2 in a horizontal micro fin tube and comparison with smooth tube data

Flow pattern observations and measurements of the heat transfer in a helical grooved micro fin tube are presented and compared with results for a smooth tube. The micro fin tube used (OD of 9.52 mm) was a Wieland Cuprofin EDX tube with 60 fins (height 0.25 mm) and a helix angle of 18°. The flow pattern observations at 39.7 bar (T_s=+5 °C, p_r=0.54) and 26.4 bar (T_s=−10 °C, p_r=0.36) show a wide range of the annular flow region. The transition from slug to annular flow does not occur, as expected, at constant vapour quality for all mass fluxes but there is an interdependence between transition vapour quality and mass flux. For the heat transfer in the micro fin tube, measurements at 39.7 bar are presented for heat fluxes up to 120 kW m⁻², mass fluxes between 75 and 250 kg m⁻² s⁻¹ and vapour qualities between 0.1 and 0.9.