An experimental investigation of supercritical CO2 accidental release from a pressurized pipeline

Experiments at laboratory scales have been conducted to investigate the behavior of the release of supercritical CO2 from pipelines including the rapid depressurization process and jet flow phenomena at different sizes of the leakage nozzle. The dry ice bank formed near the leakage nozzle is affected by the size of the leakage nozzle. The local Nusselt numbers at the leakage nozzle are calculated and the data indicate enhanced convective heat transfer for larger leakage holes. The mass outflow rates for different sizes of leakage holes are obtained and compared with two typical accidental gas release mathematical models. The results show that the hole model has a better prediction than the modified model for small leakage holes. The experiments provide fundamental data for the CO2 supercritical-gas multiphase flows in the leakage process, which can be used to guide the development of the leakage detection technology and risk assessment for the CO2 pipeline transportation. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.