Experimental research and numerical simulation on cryogenic line chill-down process

• Published in: Cryogenics (Guildford) Vol. 89; pp. 42 - 52
• Main Authors: Jin, Lingxue, Cho, Hyokjin, Lee, Cheonkyu, Jeong, Sangkwon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2018; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Chill-down; Computer simulation; Cryogenic temperature; Film boiling; Heat flux; Heat transfer; Heat transfer coefficient (HTC); Heat transfer coefficients; Liquid nitrogen; Low temperature physics; Mathematical models; Nitrogen; Position measurement; Temperature profiles; Two-phase flow boiling; Wall thickness; Two-phase flow boiling; Heat transfer coefficient (HTC); Chill-down; Liquid nitrogen
• ISSN: 0011-2275; 1879-2235
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cryogenics.2017.11.003

•Experimental investigation is carried out with mass flux from 26 kg/m2 s to 74 kg/m2 s.•A1-D model is constructed to simulate the cryogenic line chill-down process.•Several empirical correlations are suggested for chill-down process. The empirical heat transfer correlations are suggested for the fast cool down process of the cryogenic transfer line from room temperature to cryogenic temperature. The correlations include the heat transfer coefficient (HTC) correlations for single-phase gas convection and film boiling regimes, minimum heat flux (MHF) temperature, critical heat flux (CHF) temperature and CHF. The correlations are obtained from the experimental measurements. The experiments are conducted on a 12.7 mm outer diameter (OD), 1.25 mm wall thickness and 7 m long stainless steel horizontal pipe with liquid nitrogen (LN2). The effect of the lengthwise position is verified by measuring the temperature profiles in near the inlet and the outlet of the transfer line. The newly suggested heat transfer correlations are applied to the one-dimensional homogeneous transient model to simulate the cryogenic line chill-down process, and the chill-down time and the cryogen consumption are well predicted in the mass flux range from 26.0 kg/m2 s to 73.6 kg/m2 s through the correlations.