Numerical investigation on thermal-hydraulic performance of cryogenic LNG in sinusoidal channel with airfoil fins under marine dynamic load

For floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG), printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE) is an optimal choice owing to its compactness and large temperature difference heat transfer in a short time. In this study, a novel sinusoidal channel configuration was established which is with airfoil fins, and its thermal-hydraulic performance was numerically studied. Meanwhile, the effects of marine dynamic load and inlet mass flow rate (IMFR) on the novel configuration were studied. The cold fluid was supercritical liquefied natural gas (S-LNG) at 113.15 K and 32 MPa, while the hot fluid was ethylene glycol at 293.15 K and 0.1 MPa. The pressures are given as relative pressures. The results show that the novel configuration has better comprehensive performance. The local turbulent kinetic energy of the novel configuration is improved by about 19.78%. The temperature and velocity uniformity are improved. Marine dynamic load deteriorates the comprehensive performance of the novel configuration.