A 1-D model for the non-isobaric evaporation of cryogenic liquids in storage tanks

Abstract

A new transient 1-D model relevant to the non-isobaric evaporation of cryogenic liquids has been developed. It provides time-dependent vapour and liquid temperature profiles, tank pressure, liquid volume and evaporation rates. Natural convection in the vapour and liquid phases are simplified to volumetric heat sources that assume instantaneous radial and uniform mixing, respectively. The 1-D model was compared to a CFD model across three experimental scenarios for pressure, vapour temperature and liquid temperature. It was found that the 1-D model achieved a comparable accuracy to CFD, requiring less than 1/1000th simulation time. The model can simulate days of evaporation in less than 10 s, making it suitable to optimize operating conditions and cryogenic storage tank designs.