정창복

Vol. 35,  No. 6, pp. 32-45, Dec.  2020
10.14346/JKOSOS.2020.35.6.32

pressurized vessel pressure relief device gas discharge choked flow Mach number isentropic nozzle flow frictional pipe flow

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The problem of determining the discharge rates of gases from pressurized vessels through pressure relief devices was dealt with comprehensively. First, starting from basic fluid flow equations, detailed modeling procedures were presented for isentropic nozzle flows and frictional flows in a pipe, respectively. Meanwhile, physical explanations were given to choking phenomena in terms of the acoustic velocity, elucidating the widespread use of Mach numbers in gas flow models. Frictional flows in a pipe were classified into adiabatic, isothermal, and general flows according to the heat transfer situation around the pipe, but the adiabatic flow model was recommended suitable for gas discharge through pressure relief devices. Next, for the isentropic nozzle flow followed by adiabatic frictional flow in the pipe, two equations were established for two unknowns that consist of the Mach numbers at the inlet and outlet of the pipe, respectively. The relationship among the ratio of downstream reservoir pressure to upstream pressure, mass flux, and total frictional loss coefficient was shown in various forms of MATLAB 2-D plot, 3-D surface plot and contour plot. Then, the profiles of gas properties and velocity in the pipe section were traced. A method to quantify the relationship among the pressure head, velocity head, and total friction loss was presented, and was used in inferring that the rapid increase in gas velocity in the region approaching the choked flow at the pipe outlet is attributed to the conversion of internal energy to kinetic energy. Finally, the Levenspiel chart reproduced in this work was compared with the Lapple chart used in API 521 Standatd.