Theoretical and numerical analysis of freezing risk during LNG evaporation process

Abstract

The liquid natural gas (LNG) boiling process concerns most LNG applications due to a need for regasification. Depending on the pressure, the equilibrium temperature of LNG is 112-160 K. The low boiling temperature of LNG makes the vaporization process challenging because of a large temperature difference between the heating medium and LNG. A significant risk included in the regasification process is related to the possibility of solid phase formation (freezing of the heating fluid). A solid phase formation can lead to an increase in pressure loss, deterioration in heat transfer, or even to the destruction of the heat exchanger. This prompts the need for a better understanding of the heat transfer during the regasification process to help avoid a solid phase formation. The present research is focused on the investigation of the mutual interactions between several parameters, which play a significant role in the regasification process. The research is based on a zero-dimensional (0D) model, which was validated through the comparison with a state-of-the-art Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model. This made fast calculations and the study of the risk of freezing for a wide range of parameter space possible, including the LNG boiling regime. The boiling regime of LNG was shown to be a key factor in determining the risk of freezing.