Pipe freezing is a pipeline maintenance technique which is used to isolate sections of a liquid-filled pipeline by freezing the contents to form a solid pressure-resistant plug. This paper describes the development of a numerical model of natural convection and solidification in a vertical water-filled pipe. The natural convection-driven flows are examined in detail and the interaction with the forming ice plug is studied. The results are compared with experimental data. The numerical approach is contrasted with a simpler one-dimensional analytical method and criteria are proposed to aid the choice of modeling technique under different conditions.

Issue Section:
Phase Change and Multiphase Heat Transfer
Keywords:
Heat Transfer, Modeling, Natural Convection, Phase Change, Solidification
Topics:
Ice, Modeling, Natural convection, Pipes, Solidification
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