A thermodynamic model for predicting transient pressure evolution in response to venting and vaporization of liquefied gas under sudden release

Abstract Liquefied gases in energy supply chain suffer the risks of disastrous accidents (e.g. boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion) normally resulted from a sudden release. The boiling response and its associated pressure transient under sudden release determine the severity of the accident, and are crucial for assessing the consequences of the sudden release. For predicting the pressure transient, a thermodynamic model of the liquefied gas under sudden release is presented in this paper. A three-stage modelling approach is proposed to describe the entire thermodynamic process after sudden release according to the venting and boiling behaviors of liquefied gas. A set of differential-algebraic equations are established based on mass and energy conservation for predicting the transient thermodynamic parameters. Comparisons of model predictions with experimental data show a consistent trend in pressure-time histories, with relative deviations of average pressures less than 5.78%. The results show that the minimum pressure point has a time delay compared to the boiling inception point. The increase of release pressure and the decrease of vessel scale will strengthen the pressure rebound, and the increase of vent area will lead to higher depressurization and re-pressurization rate.