Numerical study on the phase change heat transfer of LNG in glass wool based on the VOF method

In this study, the evaporation of a cryogenic gas in an insulating porous medium was investigated numerically and experimentally. The flow and heat transfer characteristics around the evaporating cryogenic gas in such a medium were analyzed based on the VOF (Volume of Fluid) method. The thermal leakage through the porous medium to the outer shell was then analyzed using heat transfer considerations. To support the numerical results, an experiment was then performed using LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) as the fluid and glass wool as the porous medium. The numerical results for the outer shell temperature predict the experimental values well. Based on the validated numerical results, the transient behavior of temperature distribution in outer shell is analyzed. The effect of crack size on the reliability of insulation system is investigated. In addition, the behavior of the virtual evaporation velocity and the liquid film area was considered qualitatively. This work sheds light on technology related to cryogenic storage systems by suggesting a systematic method for predicting the temperature of the outer shell, the liquid film area, and virtual evaporation velocity.