Cryogenic spill thermal loading in a 9% Ni steel LNG tank

Thesis-linked development case comparing prescribed-temperature and transient film-condition thermal loading for cryogenic spill-induced stress in a shell-based 9% Ni steel LNG tank model.

Status

Thesis-linked development case

Methods

9% Ni steel · LN₂ surrogate · boiling heat transfer · film condition · sequential thermal–structural analysis · thermal stress

Reference

Finite Element Comparison of Steady-State and Transient Film-Condition Thermal Loading for Cryogenic Spill-Induced Stress in a Steel LNG Tank

Engineering problem

A common cryogenic-spill simplification is to prescribe a low temperature directly to the exposed region. That approach is efficient, but it does not reproduce the time-dependent cooling process governed by boiling heat transfer.

Modelling approach

The study compares a steady-state prescribed-temperature method with a transient film-condition method derived from LN₂ boiling heat-transfer behavior. Both methods are applied to the same shell-based 9% Ni LNG tank geometry, material model, mesh, support condition, gravity preload and exposure region.

Outputs assessed

Temperature histories, shell-surface temperature variation, von Mises stress contours and stress-time histories are compared to show how thermal-boundary formulation changes predicted stress development.

What it demonstrates

The case demonstrates that the hot–cold transition region can govern thermal stress and that cooling history may be necessary for physically representative LNG tank-shell assessment.

Case-study depth

What this case demonstrates.

Engineering problem

Cryogenic exposure is often reduced to a prescribed cold temperature, but actual LNG/LN₂ contact produces a time-dependent heat-transfer process controlled by boiling regime, surface temperature, exposure duration and local restraint. Minimum temperature alone does not define the structural demand.

Abaqus approach

The case compares steady-state prescribed-temperature loading against transient film-condition thermal loading derived from LN₂ boiling heat-transfer behaviour. The resulting temperature histories are used to evaluate progressive cooling, hot–cold transition gradients and time-dependent stress development in the tank shell.

Outputs assessed

Outputs include temperature-time histories, spatial temperature gradients, von Mises stress contours, stress histories at transition-region nodes and comparison between immediate cold-state response and physically progressive cooling response.

Client relevance

For LNG-related structures, the case demonstrates that thermal boundary formulation is an engineering decision, not a modelling detail. It helps clients understand when a rapid screening method is acceptable and when transient thermal loading is required for a more defensible structural-integrity interpretation.

Professional caveat

The case is thesis-linked development. Fracture, code acceptance and fitness-for-service decisions require material grade, weld/HAZ data, inspection information, toughness data and responsible-engineer review.

Technical interpretation

How this informs client work.

This case is used on the Axis website as evidence of modelling depth, not as a universal template. Similar client work would be scoped around project-specific geometry, data availability, material calibration, load definition, reporting needs and verification requirements.

9% Ni steelLN₂ surrogateboiling heat transferfilm conditionsequential thermal–structural analysisthermal stress

Cryogenic spill thermal loading in a 9% Ni steel LNG tank secondary figure — Secondary visual selected from prepared case-study assets.

Limitations and caveat. LN₂ is used as a practical cryogenic surrogate. Project-specific LNG assessment requires appropriate exposure assumptions, material data, code context, and responsible engineering interpretation.

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