Characteristic of vapor leakage behavior from a pressurized pipeline system: Experiment and model study

Abstract

Knowledge of the critical flow phenomenon that occurs in a variety of industrial processes and often poses a potentially hazardous situation is a problem of the fundamental importance in chemical and power industries. The paper aims to conduct the experimental research of the vapor leakage through pipeline cracks and to develop a physical model for the vapor leakage. The leakage model consists of the treatment of the heat transfer and the vapor condensation during the critical flow leakage. The solution of the vapor leakage model is modified utilizing the equation of state and implemented by a fifth-order Runge-Kutta method. Predictions of the model are compared with the available data from the vapor test through fatigue cracks and the literature survey, to check the validity of the model. Numerical results of the model are compared with an adiabatic model, showing similarities with the critical mass flux compared to the test result, while a large difference in the fluid pressure, temperature, and enthalpy evolutions of the fluid exists. The vapor leakage model can accurately describe the fluid flow as well as the heat and mass transfer process, providing a further understanding of critical flow phenomena.