CFDModelingofCorrugatedFlexiblePipe

Theflexiblemetalpipehasbeenusedinsmallerdiametersformorethan30yearsforallkindof cryogenicLiquidNaturalGas(LNG)transferapplications(Refs.[1,3]).TodaytheseLNGloading systemshaveevolvedintoacomplexsystem,whichhavetorespectincreasinglystringentrules andstandardswhilecontinuingtomaintainhighlevelsofsafetyandavailability.Oneofthe mainproblemsinthesesystemsistopredictinternalturbulentflowbehavior,hencethe associatedpressuredropinthecorrugatedconfigurationofflexiblepipes.Metalliccorrugated pipesarewellknownstructures,whichcanwithstandtensileandinternalpressureloads,as wellasperformbetterfromafatigueandheattransferstandpoints.However,seriesof corrugationscaninducecomplexandundesirableflowbehaviorinthepipes.Thewavy configurationofthecorrugationspromotesturbulenceandthereforeimprovesheattransfer. Forbothdesignandoperationalstandpoint,theLNGtransferfromshiptoshipisarelatively newapplicationofthiswellknowntechnology(Figure1(a)).ThebasicdesignofLNGtransfer pipeisillustratedinFigure1(b).

Figure1:LNGtransferapplications(a)OffshoreLNGtransfersystem (b)CommondesignforLNGflexiblepipe(Ref.[2])

TheobjectiveofthiscasestudyistopresentCFDmodelingoffullydevelopedturbulentflow throughaflexiblecorrugatedpipeandtoinvestigatethepressuredropreductionby introducinglinermaterials.Thereductionincostandcomplexityofdevelopingarobust cryogeniclinerorcorrugationfiller,pluseventualcertifications,wouldbesignificantandneeds tobeworththeimprovement(decrease)inpressuredrop.Toestimatethevariationofthe pressureinthecorrugations,wedonotmodelthephasechangeandthebubblescavitationbut accuratelyevaluatethepressuredropalongthepipe.Thepressuredropestimationcanbe usefultodeducetheupstreampressurewhichcanbeimposedtostayeverywheredownstream abovethephasechangepressure.Thisworkalsoaimstoestablishaframeworktobeusedin largescalenumericalsimulationsoftheoffshoretransferofcryogenicfluids.A3DCFD approachisconsideredmoreappropriatethan2Daxisymmetricone,sincethewavy corrugationprofilesleadtoagreatdealofinternalturbulentstructuresforahighReynolds numberoverRe>10million.

Threegeometriesofthebellows(corrugation)depthareconsideredtodeterminethepotential valueofacryogenicliner,corrugationfillerorgeometricvariationsforthe16pipe.We considerthelengthof3DflowdomainwithL=6Dmatchingearlierworkonthedirect numericalsimulationsoffullydevelopedpipeflow.Fortheparametricdesignstudy,weselect threeconfigurationswithvaryingdepthsA*(A/ID):A*=0.06047(base),A*=0.01583(liner1), andA*=0.00798(liner2);whereAdenotesthedepthandIDisinnerdiameterofthepipe. Theturbulencelevelistypicallyhighduetothecorrugationsandturbulencemodelingiscritical togettheaccuratepredictions.Tomodelthesteadyeffectsoftheturbulenceonthemeanflow field,weemploytheSpalartAllmarasReynoldsAveragedNavierStokes(RANS)model.For unsteadysimulations,weemployDelayedDetachedEddySimulation(DDES),ahybridRANS modelwithLargeEddySimulation(LES).IntheLESbasedondynamicsubgridscaleestimation, anattemptismadetocapturethelargescaleunsteadymotionswhichcarrythebulkofthe massandmomentuminaflow,butthenearwallturbulencebehavioristreatedwithawall function.IntheDDESmodel,weresolvethelargeeddiesthathavethebiggesteffectonthe wallshearstressandusetheRANSequationstodescribetheflownearthewall.Thiswasdone notonlytoeconomizeonmeshsize,butalsobecausemostpipeshaverelativelyroughwalls. Wallfunctionsreducemeshsizebyprovidinganintegratedrelationshipbetweenthewalland thelogarithmicregionoftheboundarylayer.Tosimulatethelargelengthofcorrugatedpipe withfullydevelopedflow,periodicconditionsareappliedbetweentheoutlet(exit)andinlet (entrance)ofthedomain.

Figure2:Streamwisevariationofvelocitymagnitudecontoursinthecorrugatedpipeatflow rateQ=3333m3/h:(a)RANSmodel(b)DelayedDESmodel Figure2(a)showsthecontoursofvelocitymagnitudeusingtheRANSmodelattheReynolds numberofRe=9.38E6forthebasemodelofcorrugatedpipe.Thefullydevelopedandtime averagedsteadyflowbehaviorcanbeobservedfromthefigure.AsexpectedfromtheRANS model,therearenophysicalunsteadymotionsinthevelocityfield.Figures2(b)showsthe contoursofstreamwisevelocityatthecrosssectionofthecorrugatedpipewiththeDDES model.The3Dturbulencestructuresandunsteadinessintheflowcanclearlybeinferredinthe image.

Figure3:(a)Instantaneousvelocitymagnitudecontoursatthecrosssectional planesforflowrateQ=3333m3/h(Re=9.38E6)(b)Isosurfaceofvorticity variable(Qcriterion)coloredbyvelocitymagnitude

Figure3(a)showsthecontoursofcrossstreamvelocitymagnitudeatthethreecrosssection planesofthecorrugatedpipe.Significantcircumferentialvariationsinthevelocitymagnitude canbeseeninthefigure.Theselocalvariationsarecoupledwithvorticity,whichisdefinedas therotationofthevelocityfield.Figure3(b)showscomplex3Dturbulentstructuresoflow speedstreaksandinplanestreamwisevortices. Figure4(a)showsthevariationofcoefficientoffrictionfortherangeofReynoldsnumberfor thethreeconfigurationsofvaryingdepthsandthesmoothpipe.Thefrictionfactorwas determinedbyevaluatingthepressuregradientalongthepipefromtheintegratedpressure values.Forthebaselinecase,thefrictioncoefficientisconsistentlylargerthantheliner1(1/4 depthofbase)&liner2(1/8depthofbase)geometries.Notably,thewallshearstressofthe liner2modelisconvergingtowardsthestressvaluescorrespondingtothesmoothpipe.This impliesthat,byintroducinglinermaterials,thecoefficientoffrictioncanbereducedby80% withrespecttothedeepermetallichoseconfiguration.Duetocomplexflowbehaviorand recirculationinthebase&liner1models,thefrictionfactorchangessignificantlywiththe Reynoldsnumbers.Figure4(a)alsopresentstheroughnesstheorypredictionsgivenbythe lines.Forthesmoothpipe,theCFDresultsandthetheoryhaveanexcellentmatch.However, forthecorrugatedshapestheroughnesstheoryseemstodifferupto24%. Figure4(b)showsasummaryofthefrictionfactorcomputedbasedonthepressuredropfor thesteadyRANSwiththeDDESonthesamemeshes.Areasonableconsistencyinthe predictionsofintegratedpressuredropcanbeseeninthefigure.Bytuningthegrid distributions,animprovedmatchbetweentheRANSandDDESmaybeobtained.Forthebase andliner1geometryatRe~10M,aninflectionalbehaviorinthepressuredropandwallshear stresshavebeenobservedintheRANSandDDESresults.Thisdipinthefrictionaldragmaybe attributedtothesuddenshiftinthepointofseparationforthebaseandliner1geometries.In thisrange,thelaminarviscoussublayerportionofboundarylayermaybecomeunstableand undergoestransitiontoturbulence.ForvaluesofRe>10M,theseparationpointslowlymoves upstreamastheReynoldsnumberisincreased,resultinginanincreaseofthefrictionfactor.

Fortheliner2andsmoothpipe,thegeometryisstreamlinedandthepointofseparationand thetransitionofboundarylayerremainsomewhatunchanged.

Figure4:(a)VariationoffrictioncoefficientswithReynoldsnumberandcomparison withthetheory(b)VariationoffrictioncoefficientsfortherangeofReynolds numberfortheRANSandDDESmodels(c)ComparisonoftheCFDresultsfor A*=0.0604of16IDpipewiththewatertest(Ref.[1]) Figure4(c)showsthecomparisonofCFDvalueswiththeexperimentaltestdonewithwaterin 10.5IDpipe(Ref.[3]).Thefrictionfactorsarecomparedwithrespectthenondimensional dynamicsimilarityparameter,Reynoldsnumber.Thedepthandshapeofthecorrugation profilesaremarginallydifferentbetweenthe16IDpipeand10.5pipe.Areasonable agreementbetweentheCFDandexperimentalvaluescanbeseen.

Figure5:DelayedDESresultsshowingstreamwiseandcrosssectionalvariations.

Incorrugatedpipeapplications,flowphysics(e.g.,recirculation,separation,meanflowthree dimensionality,streamlinecurvature,flowacceleration)andgeometryplayanimportantrole. Inthisstudy,weshowedthattheCFDmodelingusingAcuSolvecanofferanaccurateand powerfulpredictivetoolforestimatingthemacroscopicpressuredropandcomplexflow phenomenoninthecorrugations.The3DsteadyRANSandDDESmodelsavailableinAcuSolve providedaconsistentestimateofthepressuredropandfrictionfactorforvaryingflowrates. Significant3Dturbulenceeffectsarefoundforthepipegeometrywithcircularcorrugations suggestedbybothqualitativefeaturesandquantitativeinformation.Cryogenicflexiblepipe basedLNGtransfersystemseemstobeagoodcandidateforCFDmodeling,andtoqualifythe pipesystemfortheLNGindustryrequirements.ThereadermaywishtoconsultRef.[4]for furtherdetails. References [1]FramoEngineeringASReport,CFDCalculationsofCorrugatedFlexiblePipe,45770313D, 2006. [2]http://www.technip.com/pdf/OffshoreLNG.pdf [3]Frohne,C.,Harten,F.,Schippl,K.,Steen,K.E.,Haakonsen,R.,Jorgen,E.andHvik,J. InnovativePipeSystemforOffshoreLNGTransfer,OTC19239,2008. [4]Jaiman,R.,Oakley,O.Jr.,andAdkins,D.,"CFDModelingofCorrugatedFlexiblePipe," OMAE201020509(submitted)