Lumped parameter thermal analysis of multilayered composite pipe with MicroPCM particles

Abstract Multilayered composite pipeline with microparticles of phase change material (MicroPCM) has been proposed recently to meet the flow assurance challenges. This work presents a lumped parameter model for transient thermal analysis of a multilayered subsea pipeline with an intermediate layer embedded with MicroPCMs. The continuous heat transfer processes are simulated, including before, during, and after the phase change. The proposed lumped parameter model is validated by comparison with results by perturbation method and finite difference method. It is shown that the thermal performance under shut-in condition can be greatly enhanced for a wide range of pipeline diameter. The effects of the volume fraction of MicroPCM particles and the conduction heat transfer rate on the extended cool-down time ratio are also investigated.