a&uR -81-2365

TITLE COO1.-lM_)WN
FLOW-RATELIMITS lNPOSH) BY TIII?RMAI.STRESSES TN.L~C PIPEL1?JES
_...

AIJTHOH(S) .1. K. Novnk, F. .1. ltdc~kutv, and .1. P.. hrtlit

SUBMtTTED
TO (:ryuglmlc Iln}:inet’rln}: (:t)nft’rmwc, Snn Dle}:l), (:A, AUIi,. 1O-I4, 1981

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1.

COOL-DOh! FLOW-RATE LTi*lITS IMPOSED BY

THEKMAI, STRESSES TN LNC PIPE1.lNES*

J. K. Novak, F. .1. Edeskllty, nnd ,1. R. Ihrtlit

XNTIU_)Di’[:TTON

kInrm cryogenic pipellncs ar~’ uHuallv cooled to cipernting tcm-

pi~l.nturi’ by n smnll, atcady flow of thr ]iquid rrvrqu’n. If this
flow rutr is too high or too low, undusirahlc strcsnus wIII 13~1pru-
duced . ],OWf]ow-rate limits hJscd on avoidnncc of strntifiud two-
f)l]il~c flnw h~v~ cn cnlculnued for pipelines cooled with liquid
hVdroRf?n or n+ . ,: 1. 1 Nigh A- low-rnte limits fl}l Rtainless steel
and aluminum pip “ Ies cm]ed by liquid hvdrogen or nitrogen hwu
been determined by caluulatinq thermal stress in thick rompon~’~ts
vs flow rate and then aelectA1.g some rl’nsonnblc ntrcns limits.-
The preacnt work extendn these cnlrul,ltions to pipulinvm mfidr of
AISI ~04 ~ ainleon steel, 6f)61 aldminurn, or ASTM}420 97 nickul
st@L’1 ~.rnled by IIF I! ‘ “tctlmv~ or n typirnl naturill Rns.

LOWFLOW-RATELIMITS

The proccan of coolinR horizontn] cryoRenir trannfrr lines to

opcratinR temperatur~~ in ummllv accompanied hv two-phasr flow.
The rate of bent trannfer from tlw metnl rnn k different for each
phaa~, causing unequal rlm]ing around th rircumfprencw of the line
with consequent undesired thcrmnl str~~mem und/or dinplncementn,
usually upw~~rd bowinR, of the linr. Thtm phennnmmn han been nh-
aerved, and is believed to hc cautwd IIV Rtrntiflrntion of the two-
phuse mixture in the llnc.
 Baker4 presented a correlation for predicting the type of two-
Dhase flow in a pipe. The flow regimes are classified into several
types - plug, slug, annular, wave, and stratified - the last two
of which occur when the liquid flows on the bottom cf the pipe
while the gas flows above it. Although 13aker’scorrelation was
not devised for cryogenic fluids, t+e two-phase flow of hydrcgen
and nitrogen has been jnvestigated1*5 and found to follow predfcteil
behavior. Because of the increasing importance of LNC, this work
extend~ the prediction of stratified flow to LNC transfer.

The Baker correlation use.?densities of the gaseous and liquid

phases nnd surface tension and viscos~ty of tileliquid phase. Thescl
fluid properties are then combined with the gas and liq(lidmass
flow rates (G and L, respectively) ttlpredict the flow regime. In
general, stratified flows occur at low flow rates and at low ratios
of L/G. Because the value of L/c must cover the ranRe of ~ (all
liquid) to O (all gas) during thr cooling process, the total nvoid-
~nce of stratified flow is impossible.4 However, by sufficiently
raising tiletotal flow rate (L+C) tlw uppea~ance of ~tratifieclflow
can be delayed until arbitrarily ne;~rcompletion of the vaporiza-
tion ;]roc~’ss,In this work, a minimum total flow rate has been
chosen to avoid stratified flow during the first 957 of the vapor-
ization proces~. Figure 1 sl]owsthis minimum flow rtitufor liquid
mcthiint’.

Mi]kill~ tl!c’~~’ calculntiuns IS difficult hecauscJof tht’variation

illCl)Rp(19itiollS Of ndtur[llgilScS,und bec;lus~not all th( pllvsicol
pr(lp~)rtirs nrc uv.vilnbltl.M~’tl]_nnc prop~lrtyv~luus were uslldfor
liquid und gns d~lnsitjes(’ and viscosity.3 l’ftlu(,s
of s{lrfa~-e
tensi,’n
could not b~’found for either
LNC or rncthunv,so this VUIUC #
was estimutcd from those of
similar compound~, All prop-
erties wrre evaluated at
25 psiu to approximate avtlr-
age pru~sur~s in tht’entirr
transfer linu.

TllcI
rffcrt on the call’u-
lated minimum flow rate of
chnn~ing fluid prt)pertiestn
cnrr~spond to different LNC
c’omposftf(ms,including the
“typicul” LNC (91.8% CI14,
2,9% N~. 4.37 Cq compounde),7
wus evaluated, WP conclude Fig. 1. Minimum flow rnte of
thtitthe fl~w ratvs illFig. 1 mt’thanerequired t[~nvold
ar~’valid within 10%, regard- stratified flow dur~.ng952
lPSR of’the I.NCcomposition. of the col}l-duwnp}”{J(*Pnn.
 _. ...

HIGH FLOW-RATELIMITS

At any cool-down flow rate shove the minfmum, the pipeline

cools evenly around ita circumference. Thermnl stresses develop due
to differences in thermal contractf.on associated with the radial
temperature gradients. Tht’magnit~du of thesu stresses depends on
the radial thickness of the pipellnc components, the pipeline mnte-
rial, and the magnitude of the radial temperature gradients, which,
in turn, depend on tllc cool-don flow rate. Thus, for a given pipe-
line, the greatest therm~l stresses occur in the thickest components
and increaae as the cooldown flow rate increases.

In thl~ previous work, 2 ASA weld neck flanges were chosen for
study as huing representative of thick pi~?line components. Temper-
ature distributions and thermal stresses were calculated by finite
element techniques, which gave detailed results but were i~rl]er cum-
bersome. Several, widely differing cases were investignteil, and it
was observed that maximum stress always occurred at the inside sur-
face of the thickest part of the flange, and heat flow in this
region Wds almost entirely radi~l.

A simple disk model with only radial heat flow was de!~eloped
to permit faster calculiitions, ThCI disk is divided into concentric
ring-shaped elements and the c~lrulnt~on proceeds in short time
steps. Heat is transferred by forced convection from the inside
surface only; cl:e rudinl and out~’r surfaces are perfectly insulated,
The disk starts at a uniform te~mperuture of 53(I R, the cryogen flow
is established instantly nnd huld constnnt, the cryogen is always
at the saturation temperature for 27 psia nnil the Dittus-lhelter
heat transfer coefficient [Nu = 0.023(Re) b.8(pr)~.4] ia u~ed, At
each time step the temperature of uach element, the :empern:urc of
the ineide surface, tile yield ~tr~’nnth of the inaidu surface mattJ-
rial, and the circumferential thermul Streop at the inside surface
arc computed. The calculntim procwds ufltll the max~mum tht!rmu]
ntrcaa and thu minimum differcncr bctwecil the thermal stren~ and
the yield strength are found for n givt’n flow rate.

Tht’ thermu] stress in n thin diskH is Riven hy

The mntching fncto! IJ IM used to accmmnodatc variuun geom~trics: $ =

1.0 gives stresses in a thin disk and 0 ● 1.43 gives atreosea in a
lonR cylinder. Comparison of the thin disk reoultu nnd finite ele-
ment renultn ohowed chat the thin disk rnodul could be used to pre-
dict ntreoaea in ASA flangeo If $ = 1.3 were uoed for otainleno
●tee] nnd w = 1,43 werv uaud for nluminumt
 Upper limits on cool-down flow rate, which will keep thermal
stresses below any maximum stress vallledesired, can now be deter-
mined. One safe and conservative stress va’ue is the maximum ther-
mal stress range allowed Dy the American Standard Code for Pressure
Piping9; i.e., (1.25 S=+ 0.25 Sh), which is 28,125 si for 304
stainless steel,lo 14,250 psi for 6061-T4 aluminum,l! and 47,550 psi
for 9% nickel stee13 (Table 1, Code Allowable Stress). A less con-
servative flow-rate limit is that which causes the maximum thermal
stress to just equal the local yield strength of the metal in a
given disk (Table 1, Stress = Yield Strength).

Limiting flow rates were calculated for every combination of

the material, limiting condition, and stress matching factor ($)
parameters listed in Table 1, using liquid methane at 25 psia
(212 R) as a coolant. The results can be correlated using the

Table 1. Parameter combinations and coefficients of the equations

giving maximum cool-down flow ratea for methane.

[
P.
2
x -0.004120 O,]nsnhf

x -[),012204 (1
,.l~~cl”
. . .,

x (1.(N-N-IS]9 0,001109

x -1),213099 5.44(?331

x 0,(-)s(-)177 lno4t15?5

N 8,92(1028

x .(),()17~fl] 3,(-)7s.954

(-),oltls13

O.n?t-)l!ls (-),271874
. —d

B x ThFrmDl stress for tl,csc comhina-

tlons will not Fxccd material
J vltld strwtgth at any flow rate,

L
—,
parameter groups dmax/D and t/D, and are shown (plotted) in Fig. 2
and given as fitted equations of the fo~ fimax= D/[P1(t/D)2 +
p2(t/D) + p3], with the coefficients pi listed in Table 1. Combin-
ations B, J, and L do not have results shown because the thermal
stress will never exceed the yield strength at any flow rate.

For calculations with liquid natural gas as a coolant, the

typical LNC mixture was chosen.7 The choice of coolant affects
the heat transfer coefficient and the bulk coolant temperature; for
hLNG = ().935(hCH4)and Tbulk = 200 R. Calcula-
this LNC l,~ixture,
tions of limiting flow rates were made for the same combinations
of parameters ar for methane. The LNC results are shown compared
to the methane results in Fig. 3.

DISCUSSION

Aluminum and 9% nickel steel components can tolerate very high

cnoi-down flow rates, based on cot exceeding the material yield
strength. The flow-~<te limits given consider only thermal stresses,
and it may, in fact, be impas-
sible to reacl.such high flow
rates in manv pipelines,

For components of cer-

tain sizes, especially thick
ones in small-diameter pipe-
lines, there exists no
steady cool-down flow rate
that both avoids stratified
flow and keeps the maximum
thermal stress within de-
sired limits. Such pipelines
may be cooled with cold gas
or by intermittent cool-down
schemes where small quanti-
ties of liquid are intro-
duced into the pipeli~~ and
allowed to evapcratc.

The flow-rate limits

bused on yield strength are
probably tht’least conser-
vative that can be used com-
fortably for pipelir,es in-
tended for long szrvice.
However, nothing catastro-
phic will happen immediately
Fig. 2. Maximum flow rates of if these limits are exceeded
methane for various slightly. The firgt trtina-
pnrametcr combinations, gressioil wiil cause the
 6

VO (m/m)

Fig.
— 3. The ratio of maximum LNG cool-down flow
rate to maximum CH/, cool-down flow rate.

interior material of the flange to yield, ard subsequent one~ will

lead to fatigue failure, creating gmall cracks that hasten deteri-
oration by forming stregs concentrations and reducing the iimount of
naterial available to carry loads. Thug, it may be feasible to
exceed thege flow-rate limits in piping gysitems intended for short

inside radiug of disk (in.).

outside radius of disk (in.).
specific heat of cryogen (Btu/lbm-R).
inside diameter of flange (in.).
elastic modulus (psi).
conv~cti%e heat transfer coefficient (Btu/s-in.2-R).
thermal conductivity of cryogen (Htu/s-in.-R).
Nueselt number = hD/k.
equation coefficient~.
Prandtl number = Cpll/k.
Rcynulds number = 110/!i.
basic material a?.lclwtible stress at cold tempernturc.g
basic material allowable stress at hot temperature.y
radial thickness of flange (b - a) (in.).
temperature (R).
mass flow rate ~13m/o)r
total therml expanaion lIt radius r (in.).
total thermal expansion at radius a (in.).
viscosity of cryogen (lbm/in.-s).
circumferential atres~ at radius a, inside 13UrfCI(’L]
of disk (pSi).
m8tChinR factor.
 7

REFERENCES

1. Edeskuty, F. J., Liebenberg, D. H., Novak, J. K., “Cooldown

of Cryogenic Transfer Systems,” Paper No. 67-475, AIAA 3rd
Propulsion Joint Specialist Conference, Washington, DC (1967).
2. Novak, J. K., “Cooldown Flowrate Limits Imposed by Thermal
Stresses in Liquid Hydrogen or Nitrogen Pipelines,” Advances
In Cryogenic Engineering, Vol. 15, Plenum Press, NY (1970).
3. LNC Materials and Fluids, Vol. 1, “Materials,” Cryogenics
Division, National Bureau of Standards, Boulder, CO (1977).
4. Baker, D., “Design of Pipelines for Simultaneous Flow of Gas
and Oil,” The Oil and Gas J. (July 1954).
5. Bronson, J. C., Edeskuty, F. J., Fretwel].,J. H., Hammel, E. F.,
Keller, W. E., Meier, R. L., Schuch, A. F., and Willis, W. L.,
“Prrblems in Cool-Down of Cryogenic Systems,” Advances in
Cryogenic Engineering, Vol. 7, K. Timmerhaus, Ed, Plenum Press,
New York (1960).
6, Klosek, J., and McKinley. C., “Densities of Liquefied Natural
Gas and Low Molecular Weight Hydrocarbons,” 1st Int. Conf. on
LNG, Chicago, IL (1968).
7. Molero, H. A., “Prediction of Properties for tl,eEstimation
of Heat Transfer Coefficients in Two-Phase Cryogenic Heat
Exchangers,” Thesis, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicagn,
IL (May 1974).
8. Coodier, J., Timoshcnkc, S., Theory of Elasticit\~, Znd Rd.,
PlcGraw-Hill Book Co., New York (1951).
9. @nerican Standard Code for Pressure Piping, ANSI/ASME R31.1,
par. 102.3,2, ASME, New York (1980).
10. Gibbons, H. P., McClintock, R. M., NBS Monograph 13 (1960).
11. Cryogenic Materials Data Handbook,
.— P13-171809,Aerojet Cenernl
Corporation, Sacramento, CA (1966).
12. Commander, J. C., and Schwartz, M. H., “Cooldown of Largc-
Dlameter Liquid Hydrc3en and Liquid OxyRen Lines,” NASA-CR-
54809, Aerojet General Corporation, Sacramento, CA (1966),