Demand Background

The LNG storage tank is the pivotal equipment within the entire LNG industrial chain, requiring complex design and high cost, positioning it among the top-tier technologies in the energy domain. As a leading enterprise in China’s LNG sector, China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) continually strives to enhance its capabilities in design, construction, management, and operations across the LNG industrial chain, fostering advancements and refinements in the LNG industry.

Numerical simulation is an essential foundational technology in the technological framework of LNG storage tanks. To cultivate a robust technological system for large-scale LNG storage tanks, the R&D Center of CNOOC Gas & Power is in urgent need of such simulation software that can meet the intricacies and demands of LNG storage tank design and research.

Solution

In the strategy of “platform + application”, a highly specialized, automated finite element analysis software for large-scale LNG storage tanks has been developed by CNOOC Gas & Power Research and Development Center and IBE through enhancing functionalities and integrating industry knowledge to meet the requirements of numerical analysis of large-scale LNG storage tanks based on IBE’s general multiphysics simulation PaaS platform, Simdroid.

In terms of enhancing basic functionality, the technical team of IBE has conducted extensive comparison tests. Driven by the analytical outcomes and the simulation requirements for LNG storage tanks, the basic capabilities of Simdroid have been extensively bolstered. These improvements include adding reinforcement elements to simulate concrete reinforcement, implementing live and death algorithms for the concrete pouring process, and optimizing loading efficiency for large-scale models.

In terms of industry knowledge integration, four primary subsystems, including the outer tank analysis and calibration system, the inner tank analysis and calibration system, the dome analysis and calibration system, and the roof analysis and calibration system have been developed based on the SDK environment and Python script interface provided by Simdroid, and the integrated parameterized models, operating conditions, and verification standard algorithms for large-scale LNG storage tanks, realizing the advanced automated simulation modeling and analysis of the LNG storage tanks.

To enhance the convenience and professionalism of the software, a comprehensive engineering database, including simulation material libraries, profile section libraries, and other resources required for LNG tank modeling, has been incorporated, further facilitating convenient usage for engineering professionals.

The calculation results

Future Applications

Integrated with a wealth of engineering simulation expertise and practices, the analysis software of large-scale LNG storage tank finite element can facilitate comprehensive parameterized modeling of large-scale LNG full containment tanks and the rapid analysis of dozens of operating conditions. Meanwhile, the software also incorporates industry design codes for expedited post-processing and verification, allowing for rapid calculation and optimization of tank design proposals. Thanks to its elevated efficiency and reduced technical barriers, the software stands out as a leading solution in the realm of LNG storage tank simulations. After further refinement, the software will surely play an instrumental role in advancing the global LNG storage tank industry.