CFD Based Prediction of Temperature Distribution Inside Enclosure with Gas Chromatographs

Gas chromatographs are used to measure concentrations of natural gas. Normally, one or more gas analyzers are placed inside a housing or enclosure, made up of an insulating material. These analyzers operate continuously in field for several months and typically operate in harsh environmental conditions. These are subject to extreme changes in temperature, humidity etc. Temperature is maintained inside enclosure by means of one or more heaters placed at suitable locations inside enclosure, which operate based on thermostats. A thermostat switches the heater off and on when the temperature exceeds or reaches below the set temperatures at specified probe point. In this study, transient CFD simulations were performed using ANSYS ICEPAK tool to predict the temperature distribution and variation with respect to time inside an enclosure, housing one gas analyzer and one heater, to assess the uniformity of temperatures during extreme temperature conditions. The CFD simulation method has been validated based on temperature measurement results from a chamber test done with varying ambient temperature. Simulations have been carried out with extreme winter and extreme summer environment conditions. Temperatures have been assessed at selected probe points within the enclosure.