Optimization and comparison of boiling-off gas re-liquefaction processes for liquid ethylene vessels

Hongbo Tan, Wenjian Cai, Qing Guo Wang, Nannan Sun

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Liquid Ethylene Gas (LEG), which is stored at - 103.7 °C and 0.1 MPa, is usually transported by vessels with a vacuum insulated tank over oceans and lakes, or along rivers. A part of LEG would be vaporized into Boil-Off Gas (BOG) due to the inevitable heat leakage. To guarantee the vessels safety, an on board re-liquefaction plant is widely equipped to condense the BOG and return it to the tank. Improving the energy efficiency of the re-liquefaction system has attracted more and more attention. In this paper, three potential BOG re-liquefaction processes have been analyzed based on a simulation model of Aspen HYSYS V7.2. The effects of the ethylene storage pressure, propane condensing temperature, propane evaporating pressure, intermediate pressures of refrigeration and liquefaction cycles on the system performances were analyzed. Employing the optimizer of Aspen HYSYS, the optimal design conditions of the researched processes were determined. A cascade process which is composed of two subsystems, a two-stage compression refrigeration cycle using propane as working fluid and another two-stage compression ethylene liquefaction cycle, was proved to be superior to other processes. This work could provide some reference for choosing the BOG re-liquefaction processes for LEG vessels.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 2016 IEEE 11th Conference on Industrial Electronics and Applications, ICIEA 2016
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages717-722
Number of pages6
ISBN (Electronic)9781509026050
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 19 Oct 2016
Event11th IEEE Conference on Industrial Electronics and Applications, ICIEA 2016 - Hefei, China
Duration: 5 Jun 20167 Jun 2016

Publication series

NameProceedings of the 2016 IEEE 11th Conference on Industrial Electronics and Applications, ICIEA 2016

Conference

Conference11th IEEE Conference on Industrial Electronics and Applications, ICIEA 2016
Country/TerritoryChina
CityHefei
Period5/06/167/06/16

Keywords

  • BOG re-liquefaction process
  • HYSYS
  • liquid ethylene vessels
  • optimization

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering
  • Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
  • Control and Optimization

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