Study of the effect of geometrical parameters of the LNG storage tanks on the process of evaporation of liquefied natural gas

Abstract

Storage of liquefied natural gas (LNG) is one of the most important processes taking place during liquefaction which is also significant for the regasification and receiving terminals operation. The task of the tanks lies not only in the safe storage of gas, but also in preventing its evaporation related, among others, to the heat transfer through the walls and roof of the tank. Even a small quantity of heat flowing to the LNG increases its internal energy, conseąuently leading to the evaporation of a certain quantity of LNG. Phase transitions of even small amounts of liquid may cause changes in the composition of both LNG and its density, which may contribute to the formation of stratification of liquefied gas. The geometric parameters of the storage tanks have a very large impact on the amount of heat penetrating the tank: with the increase of its size the surface area of heat transfer increases, too. The dependence of heat penetrating the tank, its geometrie dimensions and the effect of temperature on the stability of the stored LNG are discussed in this paper.