Abstract
In this paper, we apply computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to study the thermodynamic response enhanced by sloshing inside liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel tanks. An existing numerical solver provided by OpenFOAM is used to simulate sloshing in a model scaled tank of similar form to an LNG fuel tank. The interface area has been estimated for different sloshing regimes on three different numerical grids representing the tank in 3D. Estimating the interface area is done by performing a grid-independence study. In the most severe sloshing conditions, convergence is not achieved. By combining the results from experiments and CFD, it is found that the interface area and the condensation mass flow rate are in phase for the most severe sloshing condition. The existing CFD solver is modified to determine the pressure drop. The simulation results are compared to the experimental data, and the results are acceptable and thereby show a potential in applying CFD to predict the thermodynamic response due to sloshing. By plotting the temperature contours, indications are found that the exchange of cold bulk and saturated liquid due to sloshing has a significant influence on the thermodynamic response.
Highlights
liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a fuel has proven beneficial for the environment [1]
One of them is related to the thermodynamic response inside LNG fuel tanks enhanced by liquid sloshing
If the system pressure drops below a specific minimum, the worst consequence is a shutdown of the gas engines [4]
Summary
LNG as a fuel has proven beneficial for the environment [1]. The number of LNG-fuelled ships has increased in recent years, but operational experience shows that there are still challenges to ensuring reliable operation. One of them is related to the thermodynamic response inside LNG fuel tanks enhanced by liquid sloshing. The rapid pressure drop is related to the movement of the tank, filling depth and the temperature of the bunkered LNG. In low-pressure fuel systems, there is no mechanical pump and the tank pressure is the driving force to transport fuel to the gas engines [3]. LNG is vaporized in a closed loop from the bottom to the top of the tank. This principle of using a pressure build-up unit (PBU) by the supply of heat is similar to land-based storage of LNG
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