APPENDIX 2 , BLOWDOWN OF PRESSURE VESSELS I. Computer Model M. A. HAQUE, S. M. RICHARDSON ¢tiom and G. SAVILLE, Deporiment of Chemical Engineering, peri College. London ‘A computer program called BLOWDOWN has been Blowdown of ese containing h (gas and Lau coped mich can be used to simulate the rapid depresuristion of carbons. The program can predic pressure, ud and vessel temperatures and mul-phase ‘compositions within the vesel and rate of efx Tram the vessel through the Blowdown choke or orice, alas Functions of time. Pipenork, both upsteam and dowastream ofthe choke, can be clude, a can fee Uguid water within the vesel, INTRODUCTION ‘The rapid depressurisation or blowdown of a vessel containing hydrocarbons, for example on an offshore oil or gas platform, is a common way of reducing the safety hazard associated with a process emergency. The blow- down itself is, however, also @ hazardous operation, the hazard arising principally because of the very low tem- peratures generated within the fluid in the vessel. For example, if vessel containing (gaseous) methane at 100 bara and 273K (0°C) is depressurised to I bara and there is no heat transfer between the methane and the vessel wall, the temperature of the methane in the vessel will fall isentropically to 112 K (161°C), which is sufficient for some liquefaction to occur. Ofcourse, there will in fact be heat transfer between the methane and the vessel wall which will prevent such a low temperature being reached, but the heat transfer will in turn reduce the temperature of| the wall. This reduction can then lead to problems involving materials of construction if the wall tempera- ture falls below the ductie-britle transition temperature of the steel from which the vessel is made. Low fluid temperatures can also lead to the formation of hydrates in cases where free (liquid) water is present in the vessel ‘A secondary hazard arises if there is significant liquid carry-over with the gas in the (usual) case of Blowdown from the top of a vessel. The carry-over can be of entrained liquid hydrocarbon from a pool under the gas in the vessel or, more commonly, of liquid droplets which have condensed out in the gas during the cooling which accompanies blowdown. Carry-over of a significant quantity of liquid can present considerable operational difficulties to a are or vent system designed to handle gas, alone. Motivated by the need to be able to predict precisely what happens when a vessel is blown down, a computer program called BLOWDOWN has been developed by the authors!. This paper gives a description of BLOW. DOWN. For the most general case of a vessel containing gas (plus suspended liquid droplets formed by condensa- tion), liquid hydrocarbon and free water (plus dissolved hydrocarbon), BLOWDOWN can be used to predict: ‘# the pressure in the vessel; ‘¢ bulk fluid temperatures and compositions; ‘¢ the amounts of each phase ‘» temperatures of the wall in contact with each phase in the vessel; ‘© the flow rate, temperature, composition and phase distribution of the efflux from the vessel through the blowdown choke. A second paper? gives a description of the way in which the program has been validated by comparison with large number of experimental measurements, most of which were made on a full-size vessel. It also gives a description of some case studies which illustrate typical practical applications of BLOWDOWN. Note, incidentally, that blowdown of a vessel must be distinguished from blowdown of a pipeline since there is a significant pressure drop within the latter but not within the former. An extension of the BLOWDOWN program hhas been developed which can be used to simulate ps and downstream pressure pe p, and choked if peSp.. The mass flow rate F through the orifice can then be calculated by assuming incompressible flow: Ld x 10 an F= CoA Boles Plt a2) where Cy denotes the orifice discharge coefficient (1.0 fora properly formed nozzle and approximately 0.65 for a sharp-edged orifice), 4 the area of the orifice, and p* the appropriate orifice pressure (the larger of p, and p. Computational Algorithm ‘The whole continuous depressurisation process is replaced by a series of discrete steps. These steps are of, specified pressure decrease within the vessel and not, as is, more common, of specified time duration. The reason for this is that it is more convenient thermodynamically, and hence much more efficient computationally, to base the calculations on a specified state variable such as pressure rather than on some thermodynamically irrelevant vari- able such as time. Each pressure step is sub-divided into a number of simple sub-steps as follows () Select a pressure decrement. (@) Expand the uid in each zone such that: as Tar-€ (3) where C is the polytropic constant, and calculate the coctgy © which must be transferred tothe Buid. G) Caleulate the amount of fluid discharged as result of the expaasion. This is given by the volume of Buid after expansion minus the volume of the vessel. @) Caleulate the duration ofthe time-step by determin- ing the low rate through the choke. (@) Calculate al relevant heat transfer coeficiets (6 Perform energy balances on the fluid and vesel wal and calculate the energy O* transfered to the Sd. (D1 #0", alter the value of C and return to step (2) Otherwise proceed to step (8). (@) Perform mass balances on the uid and calculate the quantity of liquid which condenses and settles out from the gas and the quantity of gas hich evaporates out of the liquid hydrocarbon, ) If depeessurisation is complete, stop. Otherwise return to step (I). Note that equation (13) describes a polytropic pro- cess, An isentropic expansion is a polytropic process for which C=0 and, becauseitis adiabatic, Q=0. The reason for replacing an isentropic expansion in step (2), upon ‘which an earlier version of BLOWDOWN was based!, by 4 polytropic one is that it permits considerably larger pressure decrements to be made while retaining accuracy. This in turn significantly reduces the computing time required by BLOWDOWN, CONCLUSION ‘The BLOWDOWN program described in this paper is based on very accurate thermodynamics since experi- mental evidence has shown that to do so is essential. Given such thermodynamies and associated thermophy- sical properties, extensive use is then made of appropriate established correlations for heat transfer and fluid mecha nics. The accuracy of the predictions made using BLOW- DOWN stems from the goodness ofthe thermodynamics Trans IChemE, Vol 70, Part B, February 1992BLOWDOWN OF PRESSURE VESSELS 9 and the appropriateness of the correlations, Relaxation of either can—and does— lead to significant, often order-of- ‘magnitude, errors. should be noted that LOWDOWN is a completely predictive model in the sense that it contains no disposable parameters which can be adjusted to ft particular circumstances. Confidence in its predic- tions comes from validation by comparison with experi- mental measurements Such validation and application of the program to typical practical cases are described in second paper? Further development applicability include of BLOWDOWN to extend its «# Blowdown of multipte vessels through multiple chokes. Atpresent, BLOWDOWN can simulate blowdown from the top only of multiple vessels connected to a common header upstream of a single choke «Blowdown of vessel containing internals with signif ant thermal mass. * Blowdown ofa vessel on which there is an external fre loading and for which, if the heat flux from the fie is sufficiently intense, the pressure relief system forthe vessel is insufficient, leading to a pressure rise in the vessel and ceventually perhaps to vessel failure, At present, BLOW- DOWN can oniy simulate depressursations in which the pressure in the vessel decreases monotonically with time. Work is currently in hand on each of these develop- ments NOMENCLATURE, 2 speed of sound 4 choke area specie heat at constant pressure specie beat at constant volume C__polywopic constant Cx hoke discharge eoeiieat Finase flow rte out of vesl Fo Fourier number # enthlpy thermal conductivity of wall molecular weight 2 pressure eat ux theough wall, Q energy transferred to uid in vessel (universal) gas constant 5 anny T (absolute temperature T* (absolute eccal temperature © settling velocity of droplets reiative to gas ‘este! volume £ equilibrium liguid drope fraction in gas thermal cifusviy of wal, > specie heat ratio of gas Br length of ume step ‘Se thickness of wai element TD Gepressunsation rate > density surface tension fucleation time for droplet in gas ‘Trans IChemE, Vol 70, Part B, February 1992 REFERENCES Haque, M.A., Richardson, 5, M. Savile, G, and Chamberlin, G., 1990, Rapid epresuraation of preseure vessels, J LoesPrevewion Process Industries, 34-7. 2. Haque, M-A., Richardson. 5. M. Saville, G., Chamberlain, Gand Shirl, L, 1992, Blowdowo of presure vessels. I. Experimental validation of computer mode! and casestudies, Trans [Chem Part 2B: Process Safery Enoronmental Protection, 70 (BD 1, Richardson, 8, M. and Savile, G., 1991, Blowdown of pipeices, Ofechore Europe 91 (Society of Pexoleum Engineer, Aberdeen), Paper SPE 23070, 4. Cheremisinoff, NP. and Gupta, R (editors), 1983. Handook of Flas in Motion (Ann Arbor Science, Michigan), 218 5. Kauders. P., 1984, Designing for plant upset conditions, The Chemical Enginer, No. 393, 9-11 6, Callan, W.D,, 1990, The Public Inquiry into the Pper Alpha Disaster (HMSO, London). 393, 17, Perry, RH. and Chilton, CH. (editors). 1973, Chemical Engineers Handbook, 5th eition (McGraw-Hill New York), 10-100 10-15. & Rohsenow, W. M., 1952, A method (or correlating heat-eanafer ata for surface boing of liquids. Trans A'S ME, 78: 969-976. 9. Jordan, D. 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D., 1969, The prediction of the terodyramie properties of Guide and Suid mintures—I: the Drneipe of corresponding sates and its extensions, Cham Eng Sei, bar 1365-1574 16, Savile, G. and Seezepanshi, R. 1982, Methane-based equations of fate fra corresponding states reference substance, Chom Eng Sei 3r719-725, 17, Richardson, S. M.. 1989, Flud Mechanics (Hemisphere, New York). 25, 18, Hetsoni, G. (editor, 1982, Honcbook of Multiphase Systeme (Hemisphere, Washington DO), Chapter 2 19, Abual. NaJones,O. Cand Way 8-1-C., 1983, Cea ashing Now in noales with subcooled inlet conditions, Trans ASME J Heat Transfer, 103: 379-383, 20, Bett, 'E.. Rowlinson, J-S.and Savile... 1975, Thermodynamics Jor Chemical Engineers (Athlone. London, 19 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Much of this work was supported by Shell UK. Exploration & Production, ADDRESS CComnespondence concerning tis paper should be addressed to Dr S.M. Richardson, Deparment of Chemical Engineering, tmperal Coege, London SW7 2BY The manuteript wat received 15 October 1991 and accepted for ‘publication 3 December 1991.