Numerical simulation and experimental investigation on suction heating of a BOG compressor

Abstract

One of the key components of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal is the boil-off gas (BOG) compressor, which is used to pump out the BOG from the LNG storage tank to ensure safety in the transportation and receiving systems. Owing to the ultra-low suction temperature, the heat exchange between the intake gas and the cylinder, piston, and cylinder cover cannot be ignored as in normal conditions. This paper presents an investigation focusing on suction heating of the BOG compressor. A finite element model with dynamic mesh was established to simulate the suction process. At the same time, a performance test rig was built to study the characteristics of the BOG compressor under low suction temperature conditions and verify the numerical model. Consequently, the results of the simulation were in good agreement with experimental results. Both results implied that the temperature of cylinder surface increased starting from the cylinder cover to the crankcase. In addition, at lower suction temperature, the temperature difference between various points on the cylinder surface and cylinder cover was much larger than that at higher suction temperature. With increasing suction temperature, the temperature coefficient increased markedly, and the difference between gas temperatures at the beginning and end of the suction process, as well as the compressor flow rate, decreased significantly; however, the volumetric efficiency increased first and then decreased. Furthermore, the temperature coefficient clearly increased when the compressor rotational speed increased from 250rpm to 3000rpm, and it decreased from 0.81 to 0.66 as the pressure ratio increased from 3.0 to 6.0.