Analysis of the explosive boiling process of liquefied gases due to rapid depressurization

It has been reported that the phenomena of explosive boiling always occur during the storage and transport of the liquefied gases such as hydrogen. The accident usually followed the rapid depressurization of the liquefied gas storage tanks, which was caused by the rupture of the tank or the opening of the safety valve, and could bring secondary hazards by the pressure re-built. The explosive boiling process involved a complicated coupling between the response of the pressure and the boiling of the liquefied gases. In this paper, a mathematical model was developed to predict the coupled response between the pressure and the unstable boiling of the liquefied gases. And good agreement was obtained between the experimental data and the simulated results of the pressure response. The mechanism of the coupled response between the pressure and the superheated liquid boiling, as well as the evolution of the two phase flow during the discharge were researched by analyzing the pressure transmission process, the vaporization rate contribution and the hydrodynamic field. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.