Thermodynamic study on the natural gas condensation in the throttle valve for the efficiency of the natural gas transport system

Zhuoran Li, Caigong Zhang, Changjun Li and Wenlong Jia

Applied Energy, 2022, vol. 322, issue C, No S0306261922008297

Abstract: The condensation of natural gas in the throttle valve may affect and even damage the downstream equipment, which threatens the safety and efficiency of the natural gas transport system. However, the mainly used method based on the isenthalpic hypothesis can hardly solve this problem. In this work, we developed a spontaneous condensation model of condensed natural gas with high temperature and pressure in the throttle valve using CFD modelling, which defined a hypothetical saturation line and introduced two empirical correction coefficients (α and β) into the nucleation and growth models. The scouring effect of natural gas on the valve was analysed, and the condensation characteristics and effect of latent heat of condensation on the flow were discussed in detail. The results show that the average absolute relative deviation (AARD) of the outlet temperature of the angle throttle valve (ATV) obtained by this model is 0.39% when α and β equal 10-10 and 10-2, respectively, while that without considering condensation is 1.13%. The inner wall near the throat of the straight-through throttle valve (STV) and ATV are susceptible to the scouring effect of natural gas. For STVs (type I, type II) and ATVs (type I, type II), after the droplet nucleation (1026 m−3·s−1) and growth (10-2 m/s) stage, the droplets are condensed and accumulated with a maximum liquid mass fractions of 3.12 %, 2.22 %, 3.42 %, and 3.24 %, respectively, then flow along the wall with a flow pattern of the annular flow and stratified flow. Compared to the case without condensation, the pressure and temperature at the condensation position increase slightly due to the latent heat of condensation, the condensation shock wave, while the velocity decreases slightly due to the momentum exchange between the natural gas and liquid phase.

Keywords: Natural gas; Throttle valve; Spontaneous condensation; Nucleation rate; Flow pattern (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.119506

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