Sea NG Corporation of Calgary, Alberta, Canada has obtained American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) approval for the construction of CNG transport ships incorporating Coselle technology. In order to refine the design of shore facilities and ships in support of this technology, Sea NG has constructed a test apparatus to more precisely determine and model the thermal effects of filling and depressuring Coselles.

The test coil consisted of 1280 m of 20.6 mm ID seamless tubing wound into a coil roughly 1 m in diameter. The coil was held in an insulated container in order to quantify more accurately the total heat input from fill/empty cycles. High pressure nitrogen was injected under temperature, pressure and flow control into the coil at differing injection rates. Thermal profiles upon injection and depressurization were then measured over test periods of roughly two hours per cycle.

Both dynamic and static models were utilized to match the test results with reasonable agreement. Model results have subsequently been utilized in determining themal stress loadings and settle out temperatures for the commercial designs underway.