Citation

Duhair, Hatem T M and Alsayaydeh, Jamil Abedalrahim Jamil and Farid, Mazen and Abu Sayf, Abdulmumin Amhimmid Salim and Herawan, Safarudin Gazali (2026) Conjugate Heat Transfer Benchmarking of Refinery Tank Insulation in Coastal Outdoor Exposure. International Journal of Safety and Security Engineering, 16 (4). pp. 899-912. ISSN 20419031

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Abstract

Outdoor refinery tanks act as large heat exchangers, and the resulting heat loss has consequences that extend beyond energy use to outer-surface temperature control and insulation-system integrity. This study presents a controlled conjugate heat transfer benchmark of three insulation families for a heated storage tank in ANSYS Fluent: aerogel composite blanket, polyurethane foam, and cellular glass. The computational domain includes the steel wall and insulation only, while the outdoor environment is represented through a mixed convection-radiation boundary with prescribed ambient forcing, constant material properties, and ideal bonded interfaces. Single-layer designs are evaluated at 50, 100, and 150 mm, together with a 150 mm three-layer stack composed of one 50 mm layer of each insulation family. At 24 h, the uninsulated reference heat flux is 783.77 W/m². With insulation, the flux falls to 13.401, 25.145, and 47.915 W/m² at 50 mm, and to 5.315, 10.769, and 21.044 W/m² at 150 mm, for aerogel, polyurethane, and cellular glass, respectively. The ranking remains unchanged across thickness, and the gain beyond 100 mm becomes progressively smaller, indicating a practical thickness knee under the stated forcing assumptions. A preliminary screening index based on indicative cost per heat flux saved identifies polyurethane foam as the most attractive compromise within this setup, while aerogel remains the thermal best with a cost premium and cellular glass remains relevant where moisture tolerance and long-term stability are prioritised.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	refinery storage tanks, thermal insulation, conjugate heat transfer, ANSYS fluent, coastal exposure, heat loss reduction, techno-economic screening, corrosion under insulation
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD9000-9999 Special industries and trades
Divisions:	Faculty of Information Science and Technology (FIST)
Depositing User:	Ms Suzilawati Abu Samah
Date Deposited:	31 Jul 2026 08:06
Last Modified:	31 Jul 2026 08:06
URII:	http://shdl.mmu.edu.my/id/eprint/16440

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