Numerical study on effects of the cofferdam area in liquefied natural gas storage tank on the leakage and diffusion characteristics of natural gas

The leakage and diffusion characteristics of natural gas were investigated in the condition of the leakage of liquefied natural gas(LNG) in the storage tank.Fluent was adopted to simulate the process in a series of three-dimension unsteady state calculations.The effects of different heights of the cofferdam(1.0 m, 2.0 m and 3.0 m),wind directions,ambient temperature,leakage location,leakage volume on the diffusion process of natural gas were investigated.The diffusion characteristics of the natural gas clouds over cofferdam were found.Under windless condition,when the gas clouds met,the gas clouds rose due to the collision,which made them easier to cross the cofferdam and spread out.The higher the ambient temperature was,the higher the gas concentration around the cofferdam was,and the smaller the gas concentration difference was.When the leakage occurred,the higher coffe rdam was more beneficial to delay the outward diffusion of gas clouds.However,when the leaka ge stopped,the higher cofferdam went against the dissipation of gas clouds.Under windy condition,the time to form stable leakage flow field was faster than that of windless,and the lower cofferdam further reduced this time.Therefore,considering the effect of barrier and dissipation,it was suggested that the rational height of cofferdam should be designed in the range of 1.0 m to 2.0 m.In case of emergency,the leakage of gas should be deduced reasonably by combining the measurement of gas concentration with the rolling of gas clouds.When windless,the leakage area should be entered between the overflows of gas clouds.

Study of the numerical simulation of tight sandstone gas molecular diffusion based on digital core technology

Diffusion is an important mass transfer mode of tight sandstone gas. Since nano-pores are extensively developed in the interior of tight sandstone, a considerable body of research indicates that the type of diffusion is mainly molecular diffusion based on Fick＇s law. However, accurate modeling and understanding the physics of gas transport phenomena in nanoporous media is still a challenge for researchers and traditional investigation（analytical and experimental methods） have many limitations in studying the generic behavior. In this paper, we used Nano-CT to observe the pore structures of samples of the tight sandstone of western of Sichuan. Combined with advanced image processing technology, threedimensional distributions of the nanometer-sized pores were reconstructed and a tight sandstone digital core model was built, as well the pore structure parameters were analyzed quantitatively. Based on the digital core model, the diffusion process of methane molecules from a higher concentration area to a lower concentration area was simulated by a finite volume method. Finally, the reservoir＇s concentration evolution was visualized and the intrinsic molecular diffusivity tensor which reflects the diffusion capabilities of this rock was calculated. Through comparisons, we found that our calculated result was in good agreement with other empirical results. This study provides a new research method for tight sandstone digital rock physics. It is a foundation for future tight sandstone gas percolation theory and numerical simulation research.

Numerical Simulation of Methane Leakage Diffusion in the Space with Multi-buildings

Using κ-εturbulent equation and SIMPLE arithmetic, a multi-buildings space model was set up under realistic circumstances. The methane （CH4） leakage diffusions from 3 gas-transporting pipelines with different pressures under 3 different wind flow conditions in the space with multi-buildings were simulated and the simulation results were contrasted and analyzed. Simulation results indicate that the leakage diffusion of CH4 could be influenced by surrounding buildings, besides the effect of the wind flow. In addition, CH4 gassy columniation will be bended to be adsorbed by surrounding buildings forming a high concentration zone when the pipe pressure is rather low or the wind velocity is rather fast. It will greatly increase the fatalness to the ambience and surrounding buildings.

CFD numerical simulation of dispersion law of indoor gas leakage based on weather conditions

The calculation model was established by k-ε turbulence stress which reflects the change of indoor gas leak's volume fraction,and the CFD software was used to numerically simulate the volume fraction of gas after the gas of continuity leakage,at the same time the changes of gas leak were studied. The results show that the process of gas leakage is different with the change of conditions of indoor and outdoor. Because of the different influencing factors,when the gas leak reaches a certain stable value,the volume fraction,velocity and the explosion of regional are different in the same state indoor. In some regions the gas will explode which meets the fire even if the mean volume fraction of the gas cannot achieve the explosion limit.

Numerical simulation to evaluate gas diffusion of turbulent flow in mine ventilation system

Tracer gas technique is a method to analyze the airflow path, measure the airflow quantity, and detect any recirculation or leakages in underground mine. In addition, it is also possible to evaluate the axial gas diffusion of gas in turbulent bulk flow by utilizing the tracer gas data. This paper discussed about the measurement using tracer gas technique in Cibaliung Underground Mine, Indonesia and the evaluation of effective axial diffusion coefficient, E, by numerical simulation. In addition, a scheme to treat network flow in mine ventilation system was also proposed. The effective axial diffusion coefficient for each airway was evaluated based on Taylor's theoretical equation. It is found that the evaluated diffusion coefficient agrees well with Taylor's equation by considering that the wall friction factor, f, is higher than those for smooth pipe flow. It also shows that the value of effective diffusion coefficient can be inherently determined and the value is constant when matching with other measurements. Furthermore, there are possibilities to utilize the tracer gas measurement data to evaluate the airway friction factors.

CFD Investigation of Diffusion Law and Harmful Boundary of Buried Natural Gas Pipeline in the Mountainous Environment

The leakage gas from a buried natural gas pipelines has the great potential to cause economic losses and environmental pollution owing to the complexity of the mountainous environment.In this study,computational fluid dynamics(CFD)method was applied to investigate the diffusion law and hazard range of buried natural gas pipeline leakage in mountainous environment.Based on cloud chart,concentration at the monitoring site and hazard range of lower explosion limit(LEL)and upper explosion limit(UEL),the influences of leakage hole direction and shape,soil property,burial depth,obstacle type on the diffusion law and hazard range are analyzed.Results show that the leakage gas is not radially diffused until it reaches the ground,and the velocity of gas diffusion to the ground and the hazard range decrease as the angle between the leaking direction and the buoyancy direction increases.Triangular and square leak holes have a faster diffusion rate and a wider hazard range than circular.The diffusion rate of leakage gas in soil rises as soil granularity and porosity increase.The time of leakage gas diffusion to the ground increases significantly with the increase of burial depth,and the hazard range reduces as burial depth increases.Boulder-type obstacles will alter the diffusion path of the leakage gas and accelerate the expansion of the hazard distance,while trench-type obstacles will cause the natural gas to accumulate in the trench and form a high concentration region slowing the expansion of the surface gas concentration.

Numerical simulation study of gob air leakage field and gas migration regularity in downlink ventilation

Aiming at the issue that mass of gas emission from mining gob and the gas exceeded in working face, gob air leakage field and gas migration regularity in downlink ventilation was studied. In consideration of the influence of natural wind pressure to analyze the stope face differential pressure, gob air leakage field distribution and gas migration regularity theoretically. Established a two-dimensional physical model with one source and one doab, and applied computational fluid dynamics analysis software Fluent to do numerical simulation, analyzed and contrasted to the areas of gob air leakage on size and gas emission from gob to working face on strength when using the downlink ventilation and uplink ventilation. When applied downward ventilation in stope face, the air leakage field of gob nearly working face, and the air leakage intensity were smaller than uplink, this can effectively reduce the gas emission from gob to working face; when used downlink ventilation, the air leakage airflow carry the lower amount of gas to doab than uplink ventilation, and more easily to mix the gas, reduced the possibility of gas accumulation in upper comer and the stratified flows, it can provide protection to mine with safe and effective production.

Optimization of sensor deployment sequences for hazardous gas leakage monitoring and source term estimation

Nowadays, chemical safety has attracted considerable attention, and chemical gas leakage monitoring and source term estimation(STE) have become hot spots. However, few studies have focused on sensor layouts in scenarios with multiple potential leakage sources and wind conditions, and studies on the risk information(RI) detection and prioritization order of sensors have not been performed. In this work, the monitoring area of a chemical factory is divided into multiple rectangles with a uniform mesh. The RI value of each grid node is calculated on the basis of the occurrence probability and normalized concentrations of each leakage scenario. A high RI value indicates that a sensor at a grid node has a high chance of detecting gas concentrations in different leakage scenarios. This situation is beneficial for leakage monitoring and STE. The methods of similarity redundancy detection and the maximization of sensor RI detection are applied to determine the sequence of sensor locations. This study reveals that the RI detection of the optimal sensor layout with eight sensors exceeds that of the typical layout with 12 sensors. In addition, STE with the optimized placement sequence of the sensor layout is numerically simulated. The statistical results of each scenario with various numbers of sensors reveal that STE is affected by sensor number and scenarios(leakage locations and winds). In most scenarios, appropriate STE results can be retained under the optimal sensor layout even with four sensors. Eight or more sensors are advised to improve the performance of STE in all scenarios. Moreover, the reliability of the STE results in each scenario can be known in advance with a specific number of sensors. Such information thus provides a reference for emergency rescue.

Numerical Study on the Gas Leakage and Dispersion at the Street Intersection of a Building Group

Accidents involving natural gas leakage and dispersion pose a significant threat to human life and property.This threat is especially relevant at the street intersection at which dense buildings,heavy traffic flow,and complex underground pipe networks meet.Scholars have conducted numerous studies on gas leakage and dispersion,but investigations of natural gas leakage and dispersion at the street intersection of a building group are not in-depth.In this paper,we presented a three-dimensional(3D)physical model based on the Computational Fluid Dynamic(CFD)methodology to study the natural gas leakage and dispersion at the street intersection of a building group.We validated the CFD methodology applied in the research based on the data from the field tests and wind tunnel experiments.Then,we simulated and analyzed the pressure,wind,and concentration of natural gas dispersion at the street intersection.The simulation results showed that vortex regions,low-pressure zones,and a building group effect could cause a build-up of natural gas concentration under perpendicular wind direction conditions.In addition,the area of hazardous region tended to increase first and then drop with the dispersion height.In the case of this study,the maximum area of hazardous region is 200 m2 located in the height of 55 m,which is the middle plane in the computational domain.The results in the paper can provide scientific references for the safe operation and emergency-management decisions of municipal gas.

Dynamic leakage mechanism of gas drainage borehole and engineering application

Borehole leakage not only affects the gas drainage effect but also presents considerable risk to human security. For the research on the leakage mechanism of gas drainage borehole, the rheological and visco-elastic-plastic characteristics were considered to establish the mechanical model of coal mass around borehole, which is used to analyze the leakage mechanism and deduce the dynamic leakage model. On the basis of the real coal seam conditions, the variation rules of the stress, leakage ring, and air leakage amount were analyzed through numerical simulation, and the influence factors of air leakage amount were also investigated to provide the theoretical basis for the sealing technology. Results show that the air leakage amount of borehole is inversely proportional to the increase in supporting stress and sealing length, and directly correlated with the increase in borehole radius and softening modulus. Using theoretical analysis, we design a novel active supporting sealing technology that can use grouting material to seal the fractures to reduce the leakage channels and also provide supporting stress to prevent borehole deformation. The engineering test results indicate that the average gas concentration with the novel active supporting sealing technology is increased by 162.12% than that of traditional polyurethane sealing method. Therefore, this technology not only effectively resolves borehole leakage but also significantly improves the gas drainage effect.

Experimental and Numerical Studies of Paraguayan Chaco Natural Gas in a Counterflow Diffusion Flame

Combustion is a chemical phenomenon in which a multitude of elementary chemical reactions take place, resulting in the overall process of fuel oxidation. Natural gas fuel has been explored for a few decades and extracted for a few years in the region of Paraguayan Chaco, near Bolivia border. Currently, natural gas is not very important in Paraguay＇s energy matrix, however it could be in the near future if higher volumes are extracted and transported to the most populated cities, specially to the capital. In order to improve Paraguayan natural gas combustion performance, an understanding of its fundamental properties and the combustion pathways is required. This study presents new data for Paraguayan Chaco natural gas combustion in a laminar counterflow diffusion flame configuration at atmospheric pressure. Visible chemiluminescence of excited radicals CH＊ and C2^＊ is employed experimentally. 1D numerical simulation was carried out using Paraguayan Chaco natural gas chemical composition and a standard kinetic mechanism, to which we added CH＊ and C] reactions. Typical flame structures resulting from simulation are presented and a validation of the model is realized comparing experimental and numerical CH＊ and C~ radicals profiles.

Simulation Analysis of Ammonia Leakage and Dispersion in a Large-Scale Refrigeration System

The use of ammonia in large-scale refrigeration systems(such as those used for a stadium)requires adequate ammonia leakage prevention mechanisms are put in place.In the present study,numerical simulations have been conducted to study the dispersion law in the ammonia machinery room of the refrigeration system for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.The wind speed,and release location have been varied to investigate their effects on the dispersion profile.Different positions of the leakage points in the ammonia storage tank have been found to lead to different areas affected accordingly.In general,the dangerous region area decreases with an increase in the wind speed.However,when the wind is aligned with the leakage direction,this trend is reverted.The study may offer an effective method to predict the impact of ammonia dispersion and implement the safe operation of such large-scale systems.

Leakage and diffusion characteristics of underground hydrogen pipeline

Soil corrosion and hydrogen embrittlement are the main factors of hydrogen pipeline failure. The gas escapes, diffuses and accumulates in the soil and enters the atmosphere when leak occurs. The mechanism of gas diffusion in buried pipelines is very complicated. Mastering the evolution law of hydrogen leakage diffusion is conducive to quickly locating the leakage point and reducing the loss. The leakage model of the underground hydrogen pipeline is established in this paper. The effect of leakage hole, soil type, pipeline pressure, pipeline diameter on hydrogen leakage diffusion were investigated. The results show that when the hydrogen pipeline leaks, the hydrogen concentration increases with the increase of leakage time, showing a symmetrical distribution trend. With the pipeline pressure increase, hydrogen leakage speed is accelerated, and longitudinal diffusion gradually becomes the dominant direction. As the leakage diameter increases, hydrogen leakage per unit of time increases sharply. Hydrogen diffuses more easily in sandy soil, and its diffusion speed, concentration, and range are higher than that in clay soil. The research content provides a reference and basis for the detection and evaluation of buried hydrogen pipeline leakage.

Experimental and numerical investigation of gas diffusion under an urban underground construction

Rapid increase of urban underground constructions has a great consideration of underground environment safety and how to expel toxic gasses out of tunnels effectively.The utility tunnel is a typical urban tunnel construction with multiple underground pipelines including gas pipelines,and it is necessary to investigate characteristic of gas diffusion and monitor gas leakage to ensure tunnel safety.In this study,the experimental measurements of airflow and gas distributions were conducted in a 10 m full-scaled utility tunnel mockup,and gas diffusion characteristic was also investigated.Numerical simulation of utility tunnel leakage was also conducted by computational fluid dynamics(CFD).Different turbulence models and different air supply diffuser models were compared via the experimental results based on visualization and the relative root-mean-square error(RRMSE)index,which quan-titated the difference between the numerical and experimental results.The results showed that the standard k−εturbulence model and random air opening model could provide better results than other models.According to the experimental data analysis,it was necessary to consider the optimization of monitoring detector arrangements in actual utility tunnels.This study provided basic experimental data and the validated numerical model for the leakage source identification and underground tunnels simulation research.

Numerical Simulation of Tip Leakage Vortex Effect on Hydrogen-Combustion Flow around 3D Turbine Blade

In these years, a lot of environmental problems such as air pollution and exhaustion of fossil fuels have been discussed intensively. In our laboratory, a hydrogen-fueled propulsion system has been researched as an alternative to conventional systems. A hydrogen-fueled propulsion system is expected to have higher power, lighter weight and lower emissions. However, for the practical use, there exist many problems that must be overcome. Considering these backgrounds, jet engines with hydrogen-fueled combustion within a turbine blade passage have been studied. Although some studies have been made on injecting and burning hydrogen fuel from a stator surface, little is known about the interaction between a tip leakage vortex near the suction side of a rotor tip and hydrogen-fueled combustion. The purpose of this study is to clarify the influence of the tip leakage vortex on the characteristics of the 3-dimensional flow field with hydrogen-fueled combustion within a turbine blade passage. Reynolds-averaged compressible Navier-Stokes equations are solved with incorporating a k-ε turbulence and a reduced chemical mechanism models. Using the computational results, the 3-dimensional turbulent flow field with chemical reactions is numerically visualized, and the three-dimensional turbulent flow fields with hydrogen combustion and the structure of the tip leakage vortex are investigated.

Numerical Simulation of Flow in Flowrate Measurement Section of Natural Gas Pipelines

The orifice-plate flowmeter and ultrasonic flowmeter are used widely for natural gas flowrate measurement, and the measurement accuracy is affected greatly by flow state. Numerical simulation was used to study the flow of natural gas in the diffusion pipe, and the length of the irregular flow induced by the diffuser or rectifier was computed. Simulation results indicated that the flow in the diffusion pipe was three-dimensional turbulent flow and the steady state flow was restored at 17 pipe-diameters downstream of the diffuser. The rectifiers equipped in the diffusion pipe showed good rectification effect, notwithstanding the induced irregular flow. Downstream the rectifier, the flow became symmetrical and uniform in a shorter length than the case without a rectifier. For the diffusion pipe equipped with plate rectifier, tube rectifier and tube-plate rectifier, the lengths at which uniformly distributed flow was restored were 12, 6 and 5 pipe-diameters downstream the rectifier respectively. On the basis of simulation results, the minimum installation length for flowmeters equipped in the diffusion pipe was determined. This provides a new method for improving natural gas measurement accuracy.

Gas leakage mechanism in bedded salt rock storage cavern considering damaged interface

During the long-time operation of salt rock storage cavern,between its formations,damaged interfaces induced by discontinuous creep deformations between adjacent layers will possibly lead to serious gas leakage.In this paper,damaged interfaces are considered as main potential leakage path:firstly in meso-level,gas flow rule along the interface is analyzed and the calculation of equivalent permeability is discussed.Then based on porous media seepage theory,gas leakage simulation model including salt rock,cavity interlayers and interface is built.With this strategy,it is possible to overcome the disadvantage of simulation burden with porous-fractured double medium.It also can provide the details of gas flowing along the damaged zones.Finally this proposal is applied to the salt cavern in Qianjian mines(East China).Under different operation pressures,gas distributions around two adjacent cavities are simulated;the evolvement of gas in the interlayers and salt rock is compared.From the results it is demonstrated that the domain of creep damage area has great influence on leakage range.And also the leakage in the interface will accelerate the development of leakage in salt rock.It is concluded that compared with observations,this new strategy provides closer answers.The simulation result proves its validity for the design and reasonable control of operating pressure and tightness evaluation of group bedded salt rock storage caverns.

Numerical Investigations on the Steady and Unsteady Leakage Flow and Heat Transfer Characteristics of Rotor Blade Squealer Tip

The steady and unsteady leakage flow and heat transfer characteristics of the rotor blade squealer tip were conducted by solving Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes （RANS） equations with k-co turbulence model. The first stage of GE-E3 engine with squealer tip in the rotor was adopted to perform this work. The tip clearance was set to be 1% of the rotor blade height and the groove depth was specified as 2% of the span. The results showed that there were two vortexes in the tip gap which determined the local heat transfer characteristics. In the steady flow field, the high heat transfer coefficient existed at several positions. In the unsteady case, the flow field in the squealer tip was mainly influenced by the upstream wake and the interaction of the blades potential fields. These unsteady effects induced the periodic variation of the leakage flow and the vortexes, which resulted in the fluctuation of the heat transfer coefficient. The largest fluctuation of the heat transfer coefficient on the surface of the groove bottom exceeded 16% of the averaged value on the surface of the squealer tip.

埋地掺氢天然气管道泄漏扩散数值模拟研究

为减少掺氢天然气在输送过程中因泄漏引发的安全问题,基于流体力学及多孔介质理论,采用Fluent软件建立城市埋地掺氢天然气管道泄漏扩散的三维数值模型,分析掺氢比例、泄漏孔径、管道压力、管道埋深和土壤类型等因素对掺氢天然气泄漏量及甲烷、氢气爆炸下限竖直方向上扩散距离的影响。结果表明:掺氢比例越大,掺氢天然气泄漏量越小,甲烷爆炸下限等值线扩散至地表所需时间越长,而氢气则相反;泄漏孔径10 mm时的泄漏量约为孔径5 mm时泄漏量的2倍,泄漏孔径20 mm时的泄漏量约为10 mm时泄漏量的2倍,且泄漏孔径越大,甲烷和氢气的爆炸下限等值线到达地表所需时间越短;管道压力越大,掺氢天然气泄漏量越大且扩散速度越快,危险系数越高;管道埋深1.1 m泄漏量最大,其次为1.4、0.8 m,埋深越浅,甲烷和氢气的爆炸下限等值线到达地表所需时间越短;土壤类型对掺氢天然气的泄漏扩散有重要的影响,土壤类型为粉质砂土时,掺氢天然气泄漏量及扩散速度最大,其次为壤土,最后为黏土。

COMSOL仿真模拟埋地天然气管道多孔瞬态泄漏与扩散

为研究埋地天然气管道多个泄漏孔下的扩散规律,以多孔介质中埋地管道的泄漏孔个数、泄漏孔间距、管道埋深为变量研究流体运输扩散现象.使用COMSOL软件构建三维模型,基于多孔介质中气体扩散物理模型,设置土壤域为多孔介质域观察管道非稳态过程泄漏扩散现象,并采用有限元法模拟多物理场耦合作用.结果表明:土壤域内多个泄漏孔释放的甲烷气体达到饱和时间比单孔泄漏约缩短120min;泄漏孔间距为300mm比间距为100mm时形成土壤表面危险半径约增加1.5倍;埋地管道上方覆土厚度与固定时间内土壤表面气体浓度变化呈负相关;泄漏孔个数和孔径的增加与土壤内甲烷含量变化呈正相关.研究结果可为天然气泄漏事件应急预案的制定提供技术支持.