Thermal analysis of marine structural steel EH36 subject to non-spreading cryogenic spills. Part I: experimental study

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) spills may cause steel to embrittle, leading to the brittle fracture of marine structures due to the cryogenic temperatures. For the integrity assessment of marine steel structures in the event of an LNG spill, first and foremost, an accurate heat transfer analysis is required. This study presents an experimental set-up that allows for thermal-structural analysis of steel structures subject to non-spreading cryogenic spills. A local, non-spreading cryogenic spill was replicated by building a liquid nitrogen (LN2) pool at the central zone of an EH36 steel plate under tensile loading. Six pool boiling tests were conducted on six different specimens. Temperature histories recorded by nine thermocouples are presented and discussed as well as the effect of surface roughness on cooling rates and boiling regimes. Numerical simulations of the experiments, discussed in Part II of this study, resulted in a heat flux curve for EH36 steel-LN2 pool boiling.

Automated summary

The study investigates the impact of LNG spills on the integrity of marine steel structures, conducting thermal-structural analysis and pool boiling tests on steel specimens under non-spreading cryogenic spills. The research also discusses the effect of surface roughness on cooling rates and boiling regimes. Numerical simulations of the experiments resulted in a heat flux curve for EH36 steel-LN2 pool boiling.