Chaotic behavior of LNG after stratification in main stream region of storage tank

Abstract

A study of the chaotic behavior of liquefied natural gas (LNG) after stratification in the main stream region of a storage tank was conducted. Based on non-linear dynamics, a 2-dimensional Rayleigh-Benard convection model was developed to simulate the convection, Lorenz equations of LNG convection were deduced from conservation equations, and the Runge-Kutta method was used to solve the equations. The results showed that when Pr = 1.33, 106 < r < 1470, chaos was obtained, which meant that the velocity field and the temperature field were highly unsteady. In addition, the influence of temperature and scale factor on the solutions and the corresponding range of parameters were studied. The results revealed that the chaos in LNG convection resulted from the interaction of buoyancy and viscid forces. A small quantity of heat impacting the storage tank would lead to a strong and unstable convection of LNG in the main stream region.

Keywords

chaos / stratification / rollover / Benard convection / Lorenz equation