Optimal Design of Inducer by Flow Characteristics in LNG Cargo Pump

The study examined the flow characteristics within an LNG cargo pump, specifically focusing on how variations in the geometry of the inducer and inducer casing affect pump performance. LNG cargo pumps are essential for transferring LNG from carriers' storage tanks to onshore facilities. The inducer significantly influences the pump's suction performance, making it crucial for efficient LNG transfer. Given that the inducer often operates under challenging conditions, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis was conducted on various geometric configurations. The analyses assessed velocity, pressure, efficiency, head, and pressure loss coefficient. Among the configurations studied, Case 4 exhibited the lowest efficiency and head, although the differences compared to other cases were minimal. Notably, Case 4 demonstrated more uniform pressure distributions and stable velocity profiles. Additionally, its pressure loss coefficients were 34.9% and 10.9% lower than those of Case 1 and Case 2, respectively, indicating enhanced flow stability and reduced energy loss. Overall, within the design parameters of this study, Case 4 emerged as the most optimized configuration for stable LNG transport.