Depressurization: A Practical Guide

This guide has been prepared based upon frequently asked questions regarding the
Dynamic Depressuring utility introduced in Aspen HYSYS 3.0.. !t e"plains ho# to
use the utility and correctly interpret the results. !t is di$ided into four sections%
.0 &$er$ie#
'.0 Adding and (onfiguring the )tility
'. (onnections * +essel (onfiguration
'.' (onfiguring the Strip (harts
'.3 Heat ,lu" -arameters
'.. Heat /oss -arameters
'.0 +al$e -arameters
'.1 &perating &ptions
3.0 2ain -oints to 3emember
..0 Appendices
1.0 Overview
Why has the old depressuring utility gone?
The original Depressuring utility in Aspen HYSYS #as a pseudo4dynamic
calculation based on a series of steady state calculations. The Dynamic Depressuring
utility #as introduced in Aspen HYSYS 3.0. to allo# users to perform proper time4
dependant calculations. An Aspen HYSYS Dynamics licence is NOT required to use
this ne# utility.
In version 3.2 onwards, you now only have the option to run the new Dynamic
Utility. The dyndepressuring.tpl file in the templates sub-directory of the spen
!"#"# 3.2 installation should be dated $%&'(&2''( or later. "ou can download
the latest version from the website. )#ee *nowledgebase #olution +$$322, at
http-&&support.aspentech.com.
What can this utility e used !or?
The Depressuring utility can be used to simulate the depressuri5ation of gas6 gas4
liquid filled $essels6 pipelines6 and systems #ith se$eral connected $essels or piping
$olumes depressuring through a single $al$e. 3eferences to 7$essel8 in this guide
can also refer to piping or combinations of the t#o.
What types o! depressuring calculations can e per!or"ed?
There are t#o ma9or types of depressuring calculations a$ailable%
Fire Mode is used to model a $essel or
pipe under fire conditions. This mode has three sub4types%
o ,ire
o ,ire Stefan :olt5mann
o ,ire A-!0'
Adiabatic Mode is used to model the
blo#do#n of pressure $essels or piping #ith no e"ternal heat supplied.
A more in depth discussion of the different methods follo#s in Section '.0.
2
#.0 Adding and $on!iguring the %tility
&ow to add the utility
A Depressuring utility can be added to the case by selecting Tools | Utilities on the
main menu bar6 highlighting Depressuring Dynamics and clicking the Add
Utility button. After you ha$e selected the )tility6 al#ays rename the )tility to
something that is recogni5able the ne"t time you open the case ;for e"ample6 DP-
V!"#-Fire<.
#.1 $onnections and 'essel $on!iguration
&ow to connect the utility to a strea"
&n the Design tab6 $onnections page6 choose the stream that represents the fluid
you #ant to use as the source for the depressuring. !f you ha$e a single $essel6 for
e"ample6 the stream #ould be the feed stream into the $essel. Attaching the stream to
the utility is accomplished as sho#n in ,igure %
3
/igure $
(ntering 'essel Para"eters
!deally6 the $essel si5e #ill be kno#n and this data can be entered into the
appropriate fields on the form sho#n in ,igure .
The initial liquid $olume is normally calculated at the normal liquid le$el ;=//<.
Aspen HYSYS does not take the $olume of the heads into account6 so the $olume
#ill be the liquid in the cylindrical portion only. !f the feed stream is t#o4phase6 the
equilibrium composition of the liquid #ill be calculated. !f an initial liquid $olume is
not specified6 Aspen HYSYS #ill take a $olume equal to the $olumetric flo# of the
feed liquid o$er one hour. This $olume may be disproportionate to the total $essel
$olume.
more realistic hold up time to use is ( minutes.
Aspen HYSYS does not take account of the heads in a $essel6 so $olumes and areas
are calculated as for a simple cylinder. The total $essel $olume is calculated from the
diameter and height ;or length for a hori5ontal $essel<. To account for piping or head
$olume contributions6 a small amount can be added to the height or length of the
$essel.
4
If the vessel size is
unknown, then the vessel
sizing utility in Aspen
HYSYS can be used to
estiate the !e"ui!ed
pa!aete!s#
-ress the arro# and select
the inlet stream from the
drop4do#n list.
!f the conditions of the system at settle out are such that the $apour is superheated6
Aspen HYSYS #ill not allo# a liquid in$entory. The settle out conditions for mi"ed
sources and $olumes are calculated on a constant enthalpy6 $olume6 and mass basis.
(orrection ,actors allo# for ad9ustments to the amount of metal in contact #ith the
top or bottom of the $essel. This can also be used to account for additional no55les6
piping6 strapping6 or support steel#ork in close contact #ith the $essel. Aspen
HYSYS #ill use the heat content of this metal #hen performing the calculations.
This is analogous to adding6 for e"ample6 ten percent of the $essel mass to account
for fittings.
0ote that correction factors are in 1g or lb and are not a simple percentage.
$
#.# $on!iguring )trip $harts
>hen the Depressuring utility is run6 all data is stored using strip charts. Three
default strip charts are added #hen the utility is added. !t is possible to remo$e
$ariables by deselecting the appropriate $ariable in the Acti%e column. A $ariable
can be added by pressing the Add Variable button and selecting it from the list of
simulation $ariables. Any configuration to the strip charts should be done before the
utility is run? other#ise6 any ne# $ariables #ill not be stored.
/igure 2
%
To $ie# data in
tabular form6 press
the Vie& 'istorical
Data( button.
To $ie# data in graphical
form6 press the Vie& )trip
$*art( button.
#.* &eat +lu, Para"eters
&n the Design tab6 'eat ,lu" page6 the type of depressuring to be performed is
specified. The different modes and their respecti$e equations are described here.
There are fi$e types of Heat ,lu" models a$ailable%
Adiabatic Mode * no e"ternal heat is
applied
Fire Mode * models heat from a fire
using a general equation
Fire AP+ ,! * models heat from a fire
using an equation based on A-!0'
Fire - )te-an .olt/mann * models heat
from a fire using a radiation equation
Use )preads*eet * allo#s the user to
customi5e the equation used
Adiaatic -ode
This can be used to model the gas blo#do#n of pressure $essels or piping. =o
e"ternal heat is applied so no parameters need to be entered in this section. Heat flu"
bet#een the $essel #all and the fluid is modelled as the fluid temperature drops due
to the depressuri5ation. Typical use of this mode is the depressuring of compressor
loops on emergency shutdo#n.
/igure 3
&
+ire -ode
,ire 2ode can be used to simulate plant emergency conditions that #ould occur
during a plant fire. -ressure6 temperature6 and flo# profiles are calculated for the
application of an e"ternal heat source to a $essel6 piping6 or combination of items.
Heat flu" into the fluid is user defined using the follo#ing equation%
( )
0
0 . 3 '
=
=
+ + + =
time
t time
VESSEL
me LiquidVolu
me LiquidVolu
C T C C time C C Q
The ,ire @quation can also be used to simulate the depressuring of sub4sea pipelines
#here heat transfer occurs bet#een sea#ater and the pipeline. !f the follo#ing hold
true%
(3 A )A
(. A T and (
(' and (0 A 0
then the pre$ious equation #ould reduce to%
( ) T UA Q =
/igure (
'
+ire AP./#1
,ire A-!0' uses similar heat flu" parameters to those used in ,ire mode. Three
coefficients% (6 ('6 and (3 must be specified. The equation used by Aspen HYSYS is
an e"tension to the standard A-! equation for heat flu" to a liquid containing $essel.
A #etted area is required and used to calculate the heat transfer into the $essel.
The follo#ing notes are based on e"tracts from Guide for Pressure-Relieving and
Deressuring S!stem" AP# Re$ommended Pra$ti$e %&'6 ,ourth @dition6 2arch BBC.
The amount of heat absorbed by a $essel e"posed to an open fire is affected by%
The type of fuel feeding the fire
The degree to #hich the $essel is
en$eloped by the flames ;a function of si5e and shape<
Any fireproofing on the $essel
The follo#ing equations are based on conditions #here there is prompt fire fighting
and adequate drainage of flammable materials a#ay from the $essel.
A-! @quation
;field units<
D' . 0
'000 A ( Q =
E A total absorption to #etted surface ;:T)Fh<
, A en$ironmental factor
A A total #etted surface ;ft
'
<
A-! @quation
;metric units<
)& * +
A ( '', * -. Q =
E A total absorption to #etted surface ;kGFs
, A en$ironmental factor
A A total #etted surface ;m
'
<
(
(nviron"ental +actor
Table 0 on -age C of A-! 0' lists , factors for $arious types of $essels and
insulation.
:are $essel , A .0
@arth4co$ered storage , A 0.03
:elo#4grade storage , A 0
,or insulated $essels6 users should consult the reference and select an , $alue based
on the insulation conductance for fire e"posure conditions.
/igure 2
=ote the !nitial >etted Area $ariable #ill only be completed if cases from earlier
$ersions of Aspen HYSYS ;pre 3.'< are loaded.
The Aspen HYSYS equation is an e"tension of the standard A-! equation. Therefore6
in field units6 ( #ill be '000 multiplied by the en$ironmental factor6 , and (' #ill
be 0.D' by default. ;!n most cases6 ( #ill be equal to '000<.
( )
'

C
t time
/ettedArea C Q
=
=
)*
At p!esent, Aspen HYSYS
does not have the + facto!
shown in the e"uation# If
you want to de!ate the heat
input, then alte! the 2)***
o! 43#))% figu!es
acco!dingly#
Wetted Area
The surface area #etted by the internal liquid content of the $essel is effecti$e in
generating $apour #hen the e"terior of the $essel is e"posed to fire. To determine
$apour generation6 A-! recommends that you only take into account that portion of
the $essel that is #etted by liquid up to C.1m ;'0ft< abo$e the source of the flame.
!ndi$idual companies may de$iate from this figure6 so be sure to check. This usually
refers to ground le$el6 but it can be any le$el capable of sustaining a pool fire. The
follo#ing table indicates recommended $olumes for partially filled $essels. +olumes
higher than C.1m are normally e"cluded as are $essel heads protected by support
skirts.
Type of 3essel 4ortion of 5i6uid Inventory 7ef 4I 22'
5i6uid full )for e8ample, treaters. All ,up to &#%-
#urge drums, 1noc1out drums, and
process vessels
.o!al ope!ating li"uid level ,up to &#%-
/ractionating columns .o!al level in the botto plus li"uid hold up f!o all the t!ays duped to
the no!al level in the colun botto# /otal wetted su!face only calculated
up to &#%
01eboile! level is to be included if the !eboile! is an integ!al pa!t of the
colun#2
9or1ing storage 3a4iu invento!y level ,up to &#%-
#pheres and spheroids 5ithe! the a4iu ho!izontal diaete! o! &#%, whicheve! is g!eate!
!f a (3 $alue of 0 is used6 the initial #etted area is used throughout the calculations.
This could represent a #orst4case scenario. Alternati$ely6 if a (3 $alue of #ere
used6 the $olume #ould $ary proportionally #ith the liquid $olume. This #ould
represent a $ertical $essel.
))
+ire 0 )te!an 1oltz"ann
This mode uses the :olt5mann constant to take into account radiation6 forced
con$ection6 flame temperature6 and ambient temperature. The method may be
considered as an alternati$e method to the A-! standard.
( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
V am0 f v f total
T T outsideU T 1 A Q + + =
.
0 . 'C3
>here%
A total A Total #etted surface area
Hf A ,lame emissi$ity Ienerally ranges from 0.' to 0.0 ;for burning hea$y H(s<
H$ A +essel emissi$ity Ienerally ranges from 0.0 to ;for polished metal<
k A :olt5mann constant @quals 0.1CJ0
4 D
>Fm
'
K
.
Tf A ,lame temperature 000 K and up#ards
T$ A +essel temperature
outside ) A (on$ecti$e heat transfer bet#een $essel and air
Tamb A Ambient air temp
/igure :
%se )preadsheet
This is an option that allo#s the user access to the spreadsheet used by the
depressuring utility. +alues can be altered in this spreadsheet and additional
equations substituted for calculation of the heat flu". +t is recommended t*at only
ad%anced users use t*is option0
)2
#.2 &eat 3oss Para"eters
There are three types of Heat /oss models a$ailable%
None * does not account for any heat
loss
)imple * allo#s the user to either
specify the heat loss directly or ha$e it calculated from specified $alues
Detailed * allo#s the user to specify a
more detailed set of heat loss parameters
/or accurate calculations the detailed !eat 5oss model is the one that should
be used; otherwise, the contribution of the metal could be completely ignored.
)i"ple -odel
/igure ,
)sing this model6 the user must specify an o$erall ) $alue and an ambient
temperature.
Heat Transfer Area is the cylindrical area of the $essel #ith no allo#ance for head
area. This $alue is calculated using the $essel dimensions specified on the
$onnections page.
)sing the Simple Heat /oss 2odel6 heat loss from the $essel is calculated using the
follo#ing formula%
( )
am0ient fluid
T T UA Q =
Detailed -odel
This mode allo#s the user to specify a more detailed set of heat loss parameters. !t
considers heat transfer through con$ection bet#een the $essel fluid and the #all6
conduction through the #all6 and any insulation and con$ection to the en$ironment.
)3
/he duty calculated can be
applied to the vessel wall
o! di!ectly to the fluid# /he
fo!e! would be used to
odel a fi!e and the latte!
to odel a heate!#
Hence6 there are four portions of the model to be set up% Ieneral6 (onduction6
(on$ection6 and (orrelation (onstants. The radio buttons here s#itch the $ie# to
allo# these to be configured.
General
The 1eneral section allo#s the user to manipulate 3ecycle @fficiencies and the
ambient temperature.
/igure <
The 3ecycle efficiencies set ho# much of each phase is in$ol$ed in the flash
calculation. The default $alue for all three 3ecycle @fficiencies is 00L. This means
that all material in the $essel has been flashed together and is in thermodynamic
equilibrium.
!f the 3ecycle @fficiencies #ere to be reduced6 a portion of the material #ould
bypass the flash calculation and the $apour and liquid #ould no longer
instantaneously reach equilibrium. !n this case6 the phases may ha$e different
temperatures. )nfortunately6 there is no single typical number suggested for these
parameters. The best option #ould be to try $arious scenarios and obser$e the
results.
)4
$onduction
The $onduction section allo#s the user to manipulate the conducti$e properties of
the #all and insulation.
/igure %
The metal #all thickness must al#ays ha$e a finite $alue ;that is6 it cannot be
MemptyN<. To model a $essel #ithout insulation6 the insulation $alue thickness
should be 5ero. )sers are also required to enter the specific heat capacity of the
material;s<6 the density of the material;s<6 and the conducti$ity of the material;s<.
Some typical $alues for metals are%
=etal Density
1g&m
3
#pecific !eat
1>&1g *
Thermal ?onductivity
9&m *
3ild Steel &'%* *#42* %3
Stainless steel &(3* *#$)* )$
Aluiniu 2&)* *#()3 2*)
/itaniu 4$4* *#$23 23
6oppe! '(3* *#3'$ 3'$
7!ass '$** *#3&* ))*
)$
$onvection
The $on%ection section allo#s users to manipulate the heat transfer coefficient for
inside and outside the $essel as #ell as bet#een $apour and liquid material inside the
$essel.
/igure $'
To use a set of fi"ed ) $alues6 the Use Fi2ed U option should be selected. !f the )
$alues are unkno#n6 the user can press the 3stimate $oe--icients No& button and
ha$e Aspen HYSYS determine the ) $alues. !n order to ha$e Aspen HYSYS $ary
the ) $alues throughout the depressuring scenario6 select the $ontinually Update U
$alue.
)%
$orrelation $oe!!icients
This feature gi$es users the opportunity to manipulate the coefficients used in the
heat transfer correlation. :y selecting Use )peci-ied $onstants6 the user may
manually enter the constants used in the heat transfer correlations.
/igure $$
The equation6 #hich determines the outside heat transfer coefficient for air6 is%
m
lengt2
T
C 2

=
The equation used for the other three correlations is%
( )
m
Pr Gr C 3u =
>here% =u A =usselt =umber
Ir A Irashof =umber
-r A -randtl =umber
)&
#./ 'alve Para"eters
It is recommended that either the /isher or the 7elief valve be used.
The +al$e -arameters page allo#s users to select the type of $al$es to be used for
both $apour and liquid ser$ice. !n most cases6 either the ,isher or the 3elief $al$e
should be used for $al$e si5ing. Their equations are more ad$anced than some of the
others and can automatically handle choked conditions. ,urthermore6 these t#o $al$e
types support other options that can be accessed through the $al$e property $ie#
accessible through the Depressuring sub4flo#sheet. The se$en a$ailable $al$e types
are described in the follo#ing sections.
/igure $2
)'
+isher
The ,isher option uses the standard $al$e option in Aspen HYSYS. !t allo#s the user
to specify both $al$e ($ and percent opening. :y pressing the )i/e Val%e button6 the
$al$e can be si5ed for a gi$en flo# rate.
/igure $3
4elie! 'alve
The relief $al$e option uses the standard Aspen HYSYS dynamic relief $al$e. The
user can specify orifice area ;or diameter<6 relief pressure6 and full open pressure.
The user is required also to specify an orifice discharge coefficient.
/igure $(
)(
After the
appropriate Si5ing
(onditions ha$e
been entered6 click
the )i/e Val%e
button to calculate
the $al$e ($.
-S+ hysterysis can be modelled by opening the depressuring sub4flo#sheet and
na$igating to the Dynamics tab on the )pecs page of the relief $al$e as sho#n.
/igure $2
0ote that the relief valve operation is not added to the sub-flowsheet until the
utility is run for the first time after the valve model is changed.
It is possible to model a depressuring valve using the 4#3 valve.
/orcing the relief valve to be open at all times does this. @nter a full open
pressure that is lower than the final e8pected vessel pressure and a set
pressure that is slightly lower than the full open pressure.
Other valve "odels
4lease see ppendi8 for the other valve models )as used in the original
spen !"#"# Depressuring utility..
2*
#.5 Options
The Options page on the Design tab allo#s the PV 4or5 Term $ontribution to be
set.
/igure $:
PV 4or5 Term $ontribution refers to the isentropic efficiency of the process. A
re$ersible process should ha$e a $alue of 00L and an isenthalpic process should
ha$e a $alue of 0L.
,or gas4filled systems6 $alues range from DCL to BDL. ,or liquid filled systems the
number ranges from .0L to C0L. A higher isentropic efficiency results in a lo#er
final temperature.
As no processes are fully isentropic nor isenthalpic6 this parameter is used in all the
different simulation models to tune the models in order to match conditions obser$ed
and has been requested by some of our users to use to match the test data they ha$e
a$ailable.
This parameter is defined in Aspen HYSYS as% dH ;change in enthalpy< A percentage
F 00.0 J d- ;change in pressure< F phaseOmoleOdensity. !n simple terms6 you can
think of this as the #ork that the fluid in the $essel does to e"pel the material that is
lea$ing.
Ho#e$er6 for design purposes6 that is #orking #ithout any test data? based on
$arious publications on the sub9ect6 #e can propose the follo#ing $alues as a
guideline%
,or gas4filled systems * $alues range from DCL to BDL
,or liquid filled systems * the number ranges from .0L to C0L
,urthermore6 as you can see from the #ay the equation is defined6 a higher isentropic
efficiency results in a lo#er final temperature. Hence6 if one is checking that the
minimum temperature of the $essel #ill not fall belo# a certain $alue ;for e"ample6
for $alidating the steel alloy grade<6 and then 00L #ill gi$e the most conser$ati$e
result. Also6 if one is checking that the final -ressure is belo# the safety regulatory
limit after 0 minutes6 it might be safer to make some checks #ith lo#er $alues such
as DCL to be more conser$ati$e6 pro$ided there is no significant heat transfer
influence on the phase beha$iour inside the $essel.
2)
Operating $onditions
The Operating $onditions page on the Design tab contains a number of settings%
Operating Para"eters
/igure $,
Operating Pressure refers to the initial $essel pressure. :y default6 this $alue is the
pressure of the inlet stream6 or the settle out pressure if multiple streams are
connected.
The Time )tep )i/e refers to the integration step si5e. !t may be a good idea to
reduce the step si5e if the flo# rate is significantly larger than the $olume or if the
$essel depressuri5es in a relati$ely short amount of time ;for e"ample6 minute<.
The Depressuring Time is the total length of simulated time that the utility is
running.
'apour Outlet )olving Option
The Dynamic Depressuring utility can sol$e either for the final pressure or the
($FArea required to achie$e a specified final pressure.
The $alculate Pressure option uses the specified areaF($ to determine the final
pressure.
/igure $<
22
6hange the calculated
Aperating 4ressure by
changing the p!essu!e in
the connected st!ea,s-#
The final
pressure is gi$en
#hen the
Depressuring
Time has
elapsed.
$alculate Area is a$ailable for Supersonic6 Subsonic6 and Ieneral $al$es. $alculate
$% is a$ailable for ,isher and 2asoneilan $al$es. The t#o options differ only in the
type of $alue calculated.
:ased on A-!6 it is normal to depressure to 00L of the staring pressure6 or to 00
psig. Hence6 $alculate Area can be used to find the correct si5e for the $al$e. :efore
the calculations start6 the user must specify an initial ($ or area. !f the depressuring
time is reached before the final pressure is achie$ed6 then the calculations stop and a
ne# ($ or area is calculated using the final pressure. The calculations are repeated
until the final pressure is reached in the gi$en amount of depressuring time. The user
may specify a ma"imum number of iterations and a pressure tolerance to control
con$ergence. To stop the calculations at any time6 the press M$T678.63A9N click
the )top button.
/igure $%
23
>hen the utility
has stopped
running6 the
final calculated
$alue is
displayed here.
This is the
desired final
pressure.
Per!or"ance
After all the required information has been submitted6 a yello# bar that reads 6eady
to $alculate #ill appear at the button of the Depressuring $ie#.
/igure 2'
After the utility has run6 go to the Per-ormance tab P )ummary page to $ie# the
results.
/igure 2$
The three buttons pro$ide access to the follo#ing information%
$%:P Table * #hen the $alculate $%
option is used6 this gi$es a table of ($FArea $s. final pressure
Vap Pea5 +n-o * details about the
$apour product stream at its peak flo# rate
24
(lick the 6un button to
start the calculations.
7i; Pea5 +n-o * details about the liquid
product stream at its peak flo# rate
2$
*.0 -ain Points to 4e"e"er
You no# only ha$e the option to run the
ne# Dynamic )tility. The old quasi dynamic method has been remo$ed.
Aspen HYSYS does not take the
$olume of the $essel heads into account so the $olume #ill be the liquid in
the cylindrical portion only. Ad9ust the $essel si5e if you #ish to allo# for
the head $olume.
Aspen HYSYS defaults the liquid
$olume to be equal to the $olumetric flo# of the feed liquid o$er one hour.
This #ill be disproportionate to the total $essel $olume? a more realistic
hold up time is . minutes.
2etal mass correction factors are in kg
or lb and not a simple percentage.
At present6 Aspen HYSYS does not
ha$e the , factor sho#n in the A-!0' fire equation. !f you #ant to derate
the heat input6 then alter the '000 or .3.1 figures accordingly.
To model a depressuring $al$e using the
-S+ $al$e6 you #ill ha$e to force the relief $al$e to be open at all times. To
do this6 enter a full open pressure that is lo#er than the final e"pected $essel
pressure and a set pressure that is slightly lo#er than the full open pressure.
-+ #ork term
gas4filled systems DCL to BDL
liquid filled systems .0L to C0L
A higher efficiency results in a lo#er final temperature.
A-! recommends depressuring to the
lo#er of 00L of the initial pressure or
00 psig F 1.B barg.
,or accurate calculations6 the detailed
Heat /oss model should be used. &ther#ise the contribution of the metal is
completely ignored.
2ake sure you run #ith a small enough
time step to capture the peak flo#.
T*oroug*ly c*ec5 your input data
be-ore running0 +- you are unsure o- parameters do not ma5e &ild
guesses ( as5<
2%
2.0 Appendi,
This section contains information about the $al$e models not mentioned abo$e.
)upersonic
/igure 22
The supersonic $al$e equation can be used for modelling systems #hen no detailed
information on the $al$e is a$ailable. The discharge coefficient ;(d< should be a
$alue bet#een 0.C and . - refers to the upstream pressure and the density.
( )
% * +
' ' d
P A C ( =
)usonic
/igure 23
The subsonic $al$e equation can also be used for modelling systems #hen no
detailed information on the $al$e is a$ailable but the flo# is sub4critical. This can
occur #hen the upstream pressure is less than t#ice the backpressure. The discharge
coefficient ;(d< should be a $alue bet#een 0 and . The area ;A< should be a $alue
bet#een 0.C and . - refers to the upstream pressure and the density.
( ) ( )
% * +
'
'
0a$1 ' 0a$1 '
d
P
P P P P
A C (

+
=
2&
-
back
refers to
:ack -ressure
!t is possible to ha$e the depressuring scenario cycle bet#een pressure build4up and
relief. To perform this analysis6 ensure a reasonable pressure differential and increase
the number of pressure steps.
-asoneilan
This equation #as taken from the 2asoneilan catalogue. !t can be used for general
depressuring $al$es to flare. >hen this option is selected6 the user must specify ($
and (f. The remaining parameters in the equation are set by the Depressuring utility.
( )
% * +
' ' f f v '
P 4 C C C ( =
#here%
( A .1113 ;S! )nits<
A 3D.D1 ;,ield )nits<
($ A $al$e coefficient ;often kno#n from $endor data<
(f A critical flo# factor
Yf A y 4 0..Dy
3
y A e"pansion factor
- A upstream pressure

A upstream density
General
The Ieneral $al$e equation is based on the equation used to calculate critical flo#
through a no55le as sho#n in Perr!5s C2emi$al Engineers5 6and0oo1 ;-age 04.6
@quation 0.'0 ;1th @dition< or -age 0406 @quation 0.'1 ;Cth @dition<<. !t should
be used #hen the $al$e throat area is kno#n. =ote that this equation makes certain
limiting assumptions concerning the characteristics of the orifice.
( )
% * +
' ' $ term v d
1 P g 7 A C ( =
#here
(d A discharge coefficient
A$ A throat cross sectional area
Kterm A
8 ' 1 9 &
' 1
' 1
&
+
+

+
k A ratio of specific heats ;(pF($<
- A upstream pressure

A upstream density
6o +low
This option indicates that there is no flo# through the $al$e.
2'
%se )preadsheet
3ecommended for ad$anced users only6 this option allo#s the user to customi5e a
$al$e equation by editing the $al$e spreadsheet found inside the Depressuring sub4
flo#sheet.
/igure 2(
2(
(licking the Vie&
)preads*eet( button
#ill open the
spreadsheet.
Discharge $oe!!icient
>hen the relief6 supersonic6 subsonic6 or general $al$e is selected6 the user is
required to specify a discharge coefficient. This correction factor accounts for the
$ena contracta effect. +alues ranging from 0.1 to 0.C are typically used. !n order to
disregard this effect6 set the discharge coefficient equal to .
3*