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Elliott, B. (2001) - Using DIERS Two-Phase Equations To Estimate Tube Rupture Flowrates-The Method Is More Accurate Than The Traditional'separate'phase Approach PDF
Elliott, B. (2001) - Using DIERS Two-Phase Equations To Estimate Tube Rupture Flowrates-The Method Is More Accurate Than The Traditional'separate'phase Approach PDF
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August 2001
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Over the past 15 years, The Design Institute for Emergency Relief Systems (DIERS), an arm of
AIChE, has been looking into the area of two-phase flow in relief valves and flare headers. It has
developed various calculation methods to deal with these problems. These methods are receiving
widespread support and use within the industry. Since a tube rupture, as defined in API 521, is just
flow through a tube (one side of the break) and flow through an orifice (tubesheet side of the break),
the DIERS two-phase mass flux methods can easily be applied to these problems when there are
two-phase or flashing fluids.
General methodology.DIERS equations for two-phase flow calculate a mass flux based on physical
properties of the fluid. A generalized equation for nozzle discharge is used for sizing the relief valves
for two-phase flashing flow. Hence, it can be used to approximate flowrate through the tubesheet side
of the tube rupture.
DIERS mass flux equations have also been developed for pipe flow with choked discharge. These
equations can be used for the tube side of the tube rupture.
A slightly quicker method would be to simply take twice the flow through the tubesheet, assuming that
the flowrates will be reasonably close. This would produce a number that was more conservative (but
less accurate) than the other method.
It is important to understand that the DIERS equations assume steady-state and equilibrium
conditions, and they do not account for transients. An estimation of peak pressures caused by shock
waves that occur immediately after the tube rupture would have to be evaluated using a different
method.
The method for estimating tube rupture flowrate is as follows:
?
?
?
?
Determine mass flux through the tubesheet side of the broken tube.
Determine mass flux through the tube side of the broken tube.
Calculate tube discharge area.
Calculate flowrate through the tube rupture.
To determine inlet composition of the relief valve on the low-pressure side, calculate any additional
flashing and mixing that occurs after the rupture.
Methodology using DIERS HEM equations.There are various specific DIERS methodologies for
calculating two-phase flashing flow. The specific equations presented here were developed by
Leung. 1Their strength is ease of use and that they only require inlet conditions. However, they are
not necessarily as accurate with fluids close to the critical point. An alternative set of equations was
developed by Simpson. 2These equations are stronger when dealing with critical fluids, but require
more physical data.*
Determine mass flux through the tubesheet side of the broken tube.
Step 1: Calculate the compressible flow parameter, ?:
The DIERS methods treat the two-phase fluid as a single homogeneous "compressible" fluid. Leung's
method does this by calculating a compressible flow parameter, ?. This parameter is a measure of
the fluids "compressibility." The larger the value of ?, the more the fluid behaves like a compressible
fluid. Values for ? fall into these categories:
Flashing flow: ? > 1
Gas/vapor flow: ? < 1
Nonflashing flow: 0 < ? < 1
Liquid flow: ? = 0
The ? is made up of two terms, the first term (x 0?/? v)[1-P 0/(2.7L? v)] describes the compressibility
due to presence of vapor in the mixture. The second term {0.18505 C pT oP o? o[(1/? v-1? l)/L] 2}
accounts for compressibility due to the phase change upon depressurization. All of the properties are
based on the high-pressure side (inlet) conditions.
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where:
x 0= mass fraction vapor at the tubesheet
? = overall fluid density, lb/ft 3
? v= vapor portion density, lb/ft 3
? l= liquid portion density, lb/ft 3
C p= liquid specific heat, Btu/lb/F
T 0= valve inlet temperature, R
P 0= valve inlet pressure, psia
L = liquid portion latent heat of vaporization, Btu/lb
The first term equals 0 if there is no vapor present at the valve inlet, and all the flashing is in the
valve. The second term equals 0 if there is no flashing in the valve. If there is no flashing in the relief
valve, the second term should be dropped, and the equation will become:
at values of ? > 0.6. 3At values < 0.6, Eq. 3 should be solved numerically.
Step 3: Calculate the dimensionless mass flux, G*:
If the flow is critical:
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and
where:
P b= low-pressure side "relieving pressure", psia
P 0= high-pressure side pressure, psia
Step 4: Calculate actual mass flux, G(lb/hr/in. 2):
where:
P 0= inlet pressure (psia)
? = overall density of the two-phase fluid at inlet, lb/ft 3
Determine the mass flux through the tube side of the broken tube. Flow through the tube side can be
approximated by using the DIERS mass flux equations for horizontal pipes (or vertical pipe, if the
exchanger is vertical) For consistency, we have continued to use Leung's methods. 4
Use the same ? as was calculated in the previous Step 1. The method consists of three equations,
one for tube inlet, one for the flow through the tube and one for tube discharge. If an exchanger
doesn't comply with the API 2/3 rule, discharge from the tube will almost certainly be choked,
therefore, the discharge nozzle equation can be assumed to be critical flow.
Step 1: Inlet "nozzle":
where ? 1= the ratio of the pipe inlet pressure to the "high-pressure side" pressure.
Step 2: Pipe:
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where ? 2= the ratio of the outlet pressure to the "high-pressure side" pressure.
where:
f= friction factor
L= tube length
D= tube diameter
Step 3: Outlet nozzle:
These equations are combined and then solved numerically to obtain a G*.
Step 4: Calculate actual mass flux, G(lb/hr/in. 2).
where:
P 0= inlet pressure, psia
? = overall density of the two-phase fluid, lb/ft 3
Calculate tube discharge area, A t(in. 2)
At this point, total flowrate through the rupture has been calculated. The flow then needs to be
evaluated at the low-pressure side pressure (presumably relieving pressure) to determine if there is
any additional flashing. This will determine inlet conditions of the relief valve being used to relieve the
tube rupture flowrate.
Sample calculation. As an example, consider a slurry/HP steam generator in an FCC unit. The highpressure (boiler feed water) side has a design pressure of 600 psig. The low-pressure (FCC slurry)
has a design pressure of 200 psig (PSV relieving pressure = 220 psig). The tubes are 1-in. 10 BWG
tubing (length = 16 ft, inside diameter = 0.732 in., inside cross-section = 0.4208 in. 2, friction factor =
0.00575). Calculate flowrate through a full rupture of a single tube.
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Step 3: Calculate dimensionless mass flux through the tubesheet rupture, G 1* (Eq. 5):
Since the actual pressure ratio is 234.7/614.7 = 0.382 and the critical pressure ratio is 0.811, the flow
is critical. Hence,
Step 4: Calculate actual mass flux through the tubesheet, G(lb/hr/in. 2) (Eq. 8):
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Determine mass flux through the tube side of the broken tube. The compressible flow parameter is
the same:
v = 6.29
Step 1: Inlet "nozzle" (Eq. 9):
Substitute Eq. 11 into Eqs. 9 and 11 to eliminate G 2 *, and solve numerically (e.g., on a
spreadsheet):
So total mass flowrate through the broken tube would be (Eq. 16):
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Literature cited
1Leung, J. C., "Two-Phase Flow Discharge in Nozzle and Pipes-A Unified Approach," Journal of Loss
Prevention Industry, Vol. 3, January 1990, pp. 27-32.
2Simpson, L. L., "Estimate Two-Phase Flow in Safety Devices," Chemical Engineering, August 1991,
pp. 99-102.
3Leung, J. C., "A Generalized Correlation for One-component Homogeneous Equilibrium Flashing
Symposium on Runaway Reactions, Pressure Relief Design and Fluid Handling, March 1998.
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Copyright 2007 Hydrocarbon Processing
Copyright 2007 Gulf Publishing Company
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