Receiver Accumulator (2P)

Tank with liquid and vapor volumes of variable proportion

• 

Libraries:
Simscape / Fluids / Two-Phase Fluid / Tanks & Accumulators

Description

The Receiver-Accumulator (2P) block represents a tank with fluid that can undergo phase change. The liquid and vapor phases, referred to as zones, are modeled as distinct volumes that can change in size during simulation, but do not mix. The relative amount of space a zone occupies in the system is called a zone fraction, which ranges from 0 to 1. The vapor-liquid mixture phase is not modeled.

In an HVAC system, when this tank is placed between a condenser and an expansion valve, it acts as a receiver. Liquid connections to the block are made at ports AL and BL. When the tank is placed between an evaporator and a compressor, it acts as an accumulator. Vapor connections to the block are made at ports AV and BV. A fluid of either phase can be connected to either port, however the fluid exiting from a V port is in the vapor zone and an L port is in the liquid zone. There is no mass flow through unconnected ports.

The temperature of the tank walls are set at port H.

The liquid level of the tank is reported as a zone fraction at port L. If the liquid level reports 0, the tank is fully filled with vapor. The tank is never empty.

Heat Transfer

The total heat transfer, Q_H, is the sum of the heat transfer in the liquid and vapor phases:

$$Q_{\text{H}}=Q_{\text{L}}+Q_{\text{V}}.$$

The portion of the heat transfer that goes to the liquid volume, Q_L, accounts for the heat transfer between the liquid and the wall and between the liquid and the vapor,

$$Q_{\text{L}}=\left(S_c+z_L{S}_s\right){\alpha }_L\left(T_H-T_L\right)+S_c{\alpha }_{LV}\left(T_V-T_L\right)$$

where:

• z_L is the liquid volume fraction of the tank.

• S_c is the Tank cross sectional area parameter.

• S_s is surface area of the tank side, which the block calculates from the volume and tank cross-sectional area, assuming that the tank is cylindrical.

• α_L is the Liquid heat transfer coefficient parameter.

• T_H is the temperature of the tank wall.

• T_L is the temperature of the liquid.

The block calculates the heat transfer coefficient between the liquid and the vapor as

$${\alpha }_{LV}=\frac{1}{\frac{1}{{\alpha }_L}+\frac{1}{{\alpha }_V}}.$$

The portion of the heat transfer that goes to the vapor volume, Q_V, accounts for the heat transfer between the vapor and the wall and between the liquid and the vapor,

$$Q_V=\left(S_c+\left(1-z_L\right)S_s\right){\alpha }_V\left(T_H-T_V\right)+S_c{\alpha }_{LV}\left(T_L-T_V\right),$$

where:

• α_V is the Vapor heat transfer coefficient.

• T_V is the temperature of the vapor.

The liquid volume fraction is determined from the liquid mass fraction:

$$z_{\text{L}}=\frac{f_{\text{M,L}}{\nu }_{\text{L}}}{f_{\text{M,L}}{\nu }_{\text{L}}+\left(1-f_{\text{M,L}}\right){\nu }_{\text{V}}},$$

where:

• f_M,L is the mass fraction of the liquid.

• ν_L is the specific volume of the liquid.

• ν_V is the specific volume of the vapor.

Energy Flow Rates Due To Phase Change

When the liquid specific enthalpy is greater than or equal to the saturated liquid specific enthalpy, the mass flow rate of the vaporizing fluid is:

$${\dot{m}}_{\text{Vap}}=\frac{M_L\left(h_L-h_{L,Sat}\right)/\left(h_V-h_{L,Sat}\right)}{\tau }.$$

where:

• M_L is the total liquid mass.

• τ is the Vaporization and condensation time constant parameter.

• h_L is the specific enthalpy of the liquid at the internal node.

• h_L,Sat is the saturated liquid specific enthalpy at the internal node.

• h_V is the specific enthalpy of the vapor.

• h_V,Sat is the saturated vapor specific enthalpy.

The energy flow associated with vaporization is:

$${\varphi }_{\text{Vap}}={\dot{m}}_{\text{Vap}}{h}_{V,Sat},$$

When the liquid specific enthalpy is lower than the saturated liquid specific enthalpy, no vaporization occurs, and ṁ_Vap = 0.

Similarly, when the vapor specific enthalpy is less than or equal to the saturated vapor specific enthalpy, the mass flow rate of the condensing fluid is:

$${\dot{m}}_{\text{Con}}=\frac{M_V\left(h_V-h_{V,Sat}\right)/\left(h_V-h_{L,Sat}\right)}{\tau }.$$

where M_V is the total vapor mass.

The energy flow associated with condensation is:

$${\varphi }_{\text{Con}}={\dot{m}}_{\text{Con}}{h}_{L,Sat},$$

When the vapor specific enthalpy is higher than the saturated vapor specific enthalpy, no condensation occurs, and ṁ_Con = 0.

Mass Balance

The total tank volume is constant. Due to phase change, the volume fraction and mass of the fluid changes. The mass balance in the liquid zone is:

$$\frac{\text{d}{M}_{\text{L}}}{\text{d}t}={\dot{m}}_{\text{L,In}}-{\dot{m}}_{\text{L,Out}}+{\dot{m}}_{\text{Con}}-{\dot{m}}_{\text{Vap}},$$

where:

• $$\dot{m}$$_L,In is the inlet liquid mass flow rate at all L and V ports.

• $$\dot{m}$$_L,Out is the outlet liquid mass flow rate:

  $${\dot{m}}_{\text{L,Out}}=-\left({\dot{m}}_{\text{AL}}+{\dot{m}}_{\text{BL}}\right),$$

• $$\dot{m}$$_Con is the mass flow rate of the condensing fluid.

• $$\dot{m}$$_Vap is the mass flow rate of the vaporizing fluid.

The mass balance in the vapor zone is:

$$\frac{\text{d}{M}_{\text{V}}}{\text{d}t}={\dot{m}}_{\text{V,In}}-{\dot{m}}_{\text{V,Out}}-{\dot{m}}_{\text{Con}}+{\dot{m}}_{\text{Vap}},$$

where:

• M_V is the total vapor mass.

• $$\dot{m}$$_V,In is the inlet vapor mass flow rate at all L and V ports.

• $$\dot{m}$$_V,Out is the outlet vapor mass flow rate:

  $${\dot{m}}_{\text{V,Out}}=-\left({\dot{m}}_{\text{AV}}+{\dot{m}}_{\text{BV}}\right).$$

If there is only one zone present in the tank, the outlet mass flow rate of the fluid is the sum of the flow rate through all of the ports:

$${\dot{m}}_{\text{phase,Out}}=-\left({\dot{m}}_{\text{AL}}+{\dot{m}}_{\text{BL}}+{\dot{m}}_{\text{AV}}+{\dot{m}}_{\text{BV}}\right).$$

where $$\dot{m}$$_phase,Out is $$\dot{m}$$_L,Out if the fluid is entirely liquid, and $$\dot{m}$$_V,Out if the fluid is entirely vapor.

Energy Balance

The fluid can heat or cool depending on the heat transfer between the tank and wall, which is set by the temperature at port H.

The energy balance in the liquid zone is:

$$M_{\text{L}}\frac{\text{d}{u}_{\text{L}}}{\text{d}t}+\frac{\text{d}{M}_{\text{L}}}{\text{d}t}{u}_{\text{L}}={\varphi }_{\text{L,In}}-{\varphi }_{\text{L,Out}}+{\varphi }_{\text{Con}}-{\varphi }_{\text{Vap}}+Q_{\text{L}}.$$

where:

• u_L is the specific internal energy of the liquid.

• ϕ_L,In is the inlet liquid energy flow rate at all L and V ports.

• ϕ_L,Out is the outlet liquid energy flow rate:

  $${\varphi }_{\text{L,Out}}=-\left({\varphi }_{\text{AL}}+{\varphi }_{\text{BL}}\right).$$

• ϕ_Con is the energy flow rate of the condensing vapor.

• ϕ_Vap is the energy flow rate of the vaporizing liquid.

• Q_L is the heat transfer between the tank wall and the liquid.

The energy balance in the vapor zone is:

$$M_{\text{V}}\frac{\text{d}{u}_{\text{V}}}{\text{d}t}+\frac{\text{d}{M}_{\text{V}}}{\text{d}t}{u}_{\text{V}}={\varphi }_{\text{V,In}}-{\varphi }_{\text{V,Out}}-{\varphi }_{\text{Con}}+{\varphi }_{\text{Vap}}+Q_{\text{V}}.$$

• u_V is the specific internal energy of the vapor.

• ϕ_V,In is the inlet vapor energy flow rate at all L and V ports.

• ϕ_V,Out is the outlet vapor energy flow rate:

  $${\varphi }_{\text{V,Out}}=-\left({\varphi }_{\text{AV}}+{\varphi }_{\text{BV}}\right).$$

• Q_V is the heat transfer between the tank wall and the vapor.

If there is only one zone present in the tank, the outlet energy flow rate is the sum of the flow rate through all of the ports:

$${\varphi }_{\text{phase,Out}}=-\left({\varphi }_{\text{AL}}+{\varphi }_{\text{BL}}+{\varphi }_{\text{AV}}+{\varphi }_{\text{BV}}\right).$$

where ϕ_phase,Out is ϕ_L,Out if the fluid is entirely liquid, and ϕ_V,Out if the fluid is entirely vapor.

Momentum Balance

There are no pressure changes modeled in the tank, including hydrostatic pressure. The pressure at any port is equal to the internal tank pressure.

The Receiver Accumulator block models the vapor and liquid volumes separately. If you input vapor or liquid quickly, the block may compress the vapor volume and the pressure may rise faster than expected. The pressure rises because when there is a high vapor or liquid mass flow rate input, the temperature rise due to compression is faster than the heat transfer that cools the vapor. If you add the vapor slowly, the heat transfer between the vapor and the liquid brings the vapor temperature down, which allows it to condense into liquid, and the pressure will not spike. Additionally, if you wait until the block achieves equilibrium, adding vapor or liquid shifts the mass fraction and does not cause pressure spikes.

Assumptions and Limitations

• Pressure must remain below the critical pressure.

• Hydrostatic pressure is not modeled.

• The container wall is rigid, therefore the total volume of fluid is constant.

• The thermal mass of the tank wall is not modeled.

• Flow resistance through the outlets is not modeled. To model pressure losses associated with the outlets, connect a Local Restriction (2P) block or a Flow Resistance (2P) block to the ports of the Receiver-Accumulator (2P) block.

• A liquid-vapor mixture is not modeled.

Examples

Refrigeration Cycle (Air Conditioning)

A refrigeration cycle for a home air conditioning system. See Model a Refrigeration Cycle for the recommended steps to build this model in the two-phase fluid domain.

• Open Model

Electric Vehicle Thermal Management

Model the thermal management system of a battery electric vehicle.

• Open Model

Ports

Output

L — Liquid level

physical signal

Liquid level in the tank. Use this port to monitor the amount of liquid remaining inside.

Conserving

AV — Tank opening

two-phase fluid

Opening for the fluid to flow into or out of the tank. Both liquid and vapor can enter through this port. However, only vapor can exit through it—until the tank is depleted of vapor, in which event liquid too can flow out through this port.

BV — Tank opening

two-phase fluid

Opening for the fluid to flow into or out of the tank. Both liquid and vapor can enter through this port. However, only vapor can exit through it—until the tank is depleted of vapor, in which event liquid too can flow out through this port.

AL — Tank opening

two-phase fluid

Opening for the fluid to flow into or out of the tank. Both liquid and vapor can enter through this port. However, only liquid can exit through it—until the tank is depleted of liquid, in which event vapor too can flow out through this port.

BL — Tank opening

two-phase fluid

Opening for the fluid to flow into or out of the tank. Both liquid and vapor can enter through this port. However, only liquid can exit through it—until the tank is depleted of liquid, in which event vapor too can flow out through this port.

H — Tank wall

thermal

Thermal boundary between the fluid volume and the tank wall. Use this port to capture heat exchanges of various kinds—for example, conductive, convective, or radiative—between the fluid and the environment external to the tank.

Parameters

Main

Total tank volume — Aggregate volume of liquid and vapor phases in the tank

1 m^3 (default) | positive scalar

Aggregate volume of liquid and vapor phases in the tank.

Tank cross-sectional area — Tank cross-sectional area

0.5 m^2 (default) | positive scalar

Cross-sectional area of the tank.

Cross-sectional area at port AV — Area normal to the direction of flow at port AV

0.01 m^2 (default) | positive scalar

Area normal to the direction of flow at port AV.

Cross-sectional area at port BV — Area normal to the direction of flow at port BV

0.01 m^2 (default) | positive scalar

Area normal to the direction of flow at port BV.

Cross-sectional area at port AL — Area normal to the direction of flow at port AL

0.01 m^2 (default) | positive scalar

Area normal to the direction of flow at port AL.

Cross-sectional area at port BL — Area normal to the direction of flow at port BL

0.01 m^2 (default) | positive scalar

Area normal to the direction of flow at port BL.

Liquid volume fraction out of range — What happens when volume fractions are out of range

No error (default) | Error | Warning

Select what happens when the block has volume fractions lower than the Minimum liquid volume fraction parameter or higher than the Maximum liquid volume fraction parameter. Select Warning to be notified when the volume fraction crosses a specified range. Select Error to stop simulation at such events.

Minimum liquid volume fraction — Value below which to trigger warning or error

0.05 (default) | positive scalar between 0 and 1

Lower bound of the valid range for the liquid volume fraction in the tank. Fractions below this value will trigger a simulation warning or error (depending on the setting of the Liquid volume fraction out of range block parameter.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set Liquid volume fraction out of range to Warning or Error.

Maximum liquid volume fraction — Value above which to trigger warning or error

0.95 (default) | positive scalar between 0 and 1

Upper bound of the valid range for the liquid volume fraction in the tank. Fractions above this value will trigger a simulation warning or error (depending on the setting of the Liquid volume fraction out of range block parameter.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set Liquid volume fraction out of range to Warning or Error.

Volume fraction threshold for transition to pure liquid or pure vapor — Volume fraction of a phase below which to transition to a single-phase tank

0.05 (default) | positive scalar between 0 and 1

Volume fraction of either phase below which to transition to a single-phase tank—either subcooled liquid or superheated vapor. This parameter determines how smooth the transition is. The larger its value, the smoother the transition and therefore the faster the simulation (though at the cost of lower accuracy).

Heat Transfer

Vapor heat transfer coefficient — Coefficient for heat exchange between vapor and the tank wall

20 W/(m^2*K) (default) | positive scalar

Coefficient for heat exchange between the vapor zone and its section of the tank wall. This parameter serves to calculate the rate of this heat exchange.

Liquid heat transfer coefficient — Coefficient for heat exchange between liquid and the tank wall

100 W/(m^2*K) (default) | positive scalar

Coefficient for heat exchange between the liquid zone and its section of the tank wall. This parameter serves to calculate the rate of this heat exchange.

Effects and Initial Conditions

Initial pressure — Absolute pressure at start of simulation

0.101325 MPa (default) | scalar

Pressure in the tank at the start of simulation.

Initial liquid fraction specification — Type of initial liquid fraction

Liquid mass fraction (default) | Liquid volume fraction

Whether to specify the initial fraction of the liquid volume as a mass or volume fraction.

Initial liquid mass fraction — Initial mass fraction of liquid in tank

0.5 (default) | unitless scalar between 0 and 1

Mass fraction of the liquid in the tank at the start of simulation.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set Initial liquid fraction specification to Liquid mass fraction.

Initial liquid volume fraction — Initial volume fraction of liquid in tank

0.5 (default) | unitless scalar between 0 and 1

Volume fraction of the liquid in the tank at the start of simulation.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set Initial liquid fraction specification to Liquid volume fraction.

Initial liquid and vapor volumes fully saturated — Option to specify liquid and vapor as fully saturated

on (default) | off

Whether to initialize the liquid and vapor in the tank in a fully saturated state. If you clear this check box, you can specify the initial energy of the liquid and vapor volumes.

Initial fluid energy specification — Thermodynamic variable to use to define initial fluid energy

Degree of subcooling and superheating (default) | Temperature | Specific enthalpy | Specific internal energy

Thermodynamic variable that the block uses to define the initial fluid energy. If you select this check box, the liquid and vapor are both saturated. If you clear the check box, the block uses the initial fluid energy specification parameters to calculate the degree of subcooling or superheating for the liquid and vapor, respectively.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, clear the Initial liquid and vapor volumes fully saturated check box.

Initial liquid subcooling — Liquid subcooling at start of simulation

5 deltaK (default) | positive scalar

Liquid subcooling in the tank at the start of simulation. The block initializes the initial liquid temperature to T_sat (p_init)-ΔT_sub,init, where T_sat (p_init) is the saturation temperature at the value of the Initial pressure parameter and ΔT_sub,init is the value of this parameter.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, clear the Initial liquid and vapor volumes fully saturated check box and set Initial fluid energy specification to Degree of subcooling and superheating.

Initial vapor superheating — Vapor superheating at start of simulation

5 deltaK (default) | positive scalar

Vapor superheating in the tank at the start of simulation. The block initializes the initial liquid temperature to T_sat (p_init)+ΔT_sup,init, where T_sat (p_init) is the saturation temperature at the value of the Initial pressure parameter and ΔT_sup,init is the value of this parameter.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, clear the Initial liquid and vapor volumes fully saturated check box and set Initial fluid energy specification to Degree of subcooling and superheating.

Initial liquid temperature — Liquid temperature at start of simulation

368.15 K (default) | scalar

Liquid temperature in the tank at the start of simulation.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, clear the Initial liquid and vapor volumes fully saturated check box and set Initial fluid energy specification to Temperature.

Initial vapor temperature — Vapor temperature at start of simulation

378.15 K (default) | scalar

Vapor temperature in the tank at the start of simulation.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, clear the Initial liquid and vapor volumes fully saturated check box and set Initial fluid energy specification to Temperature.

Initial liquid specific enthalpy — Liquid specific enthalpy at start of simulation

400 kJ/kg (default) | scalar

Liquid specific enthalpy in the tank at the start of simulation.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, clear the Initial liquid and vapor volumes fully saturated check box and set Initial fluid energy specification to Specific enthalpy.

Initial vapor specific enthalpy — Vapor specific enthalpy at start of simulation

2700 kJ/kg (default) | scalar

Vapor specific enthalpy in the tank at the start of simulation.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, clear the Initial liquid and vapor volumes fully saturated check box and set Initial fluid energy specification to Specific enthalpy.

Initial liquid specific internal energy — Liquid specific internal energy at start of simulation

400 kJ/kg (default) | scalar

Liquid specific internal energy in the tank at the start of simulation.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, clear the Initial liquid and vapor volumes fully saturated check box and set Initial fluid energy specification to Specific internal energy.

Initial vapor specific internal energy — Vapor specific internal energy at start of simulation

2700 kJ/kg (default) | scalar

Vapor specific internal energy in the tank at the start of simulation.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, clear the Initial liquid and vapor volumes fully saturated check box and set Initial fluid energy specification to Specific internal energy.

Vaporization and condensation time constant — Characteristic duration of phase-change event

0.1 s (default) | positive scalar

Characteristic time to equilibrium for a phase-change event that takes place in the tank. Increase this parameter to slow the rate of phase change or decrease it to speed up the rate.

Extended Capabilities

C/C++ Code Generation
Generate C and C++ code using Simulink® Coder™.

Version History

Introduced in R2018b

R2024b: Specify the initial conditions for the liquid and vapor volume

You can now use initial conditions in the Receiver Accumulator (2P) block to specify liquid and vapor volumes that are not saturated. Previously, if you initialized the liquid volume at a subcooled state or the vapor at a superheated state, the block could not also model vapor or liquid, respectively. You can now specify the initial liquid or vapor volume. Clear the Initial liquid and vapor volumes fully saturated parameter to specify the initial energy of the liquid volume and vapor volume.

It you update a model that contains a Receiver Accumulator (2P) block, and the upgrade tool cannot identify a Two-Phase Fluid Properties (2P) or Two-Phase Fluid Predefined Properties (2P) block connected to the network, it issues an error that the initial liquid fraction is not updated. To manually update your initial conditions, you may need to calculate the initial saturation boundaries at p_init, the value of the Initial pressure parameter, where:

• T_sat (p_init) is the initial saturation temperature at p_init.

• h_sat,liq (p_init) is the initial liquid saturation specific enthalpy at p_init.

• h_sat,vap (p_init) is the initial vapor saturation specific enthalpy at p_init.

• u_sat,liq (p_init) is the initial liquid saturation specific internal energy at p_init.

• u_sat,vap (p_init) is the initial vapor saturation specific internal energy at p_init.

Update the parameters as shown in this table:

Previous Initial Condition Parameters	New Initial Condition Parameters
Initial fluid energy specification is Temperature Tinit is the value of the Initial temperature parameter	Set Initial fluid fraction specification to Liquid mass fraction. Clear the Initial liquid and vapor volumes fully saturated check box. Set Initial fluid energy specification to Temperature. If Tinit ≤ Tsat (pinit): Set the value of the Initial liquid mass fraction parameter to 1. Set the value of the Initial liquid temperature parameter to Tinit. If Tinit > Tsat (pinit): Set the value of the Initial liquid mass fraction parameter to 0. Set the value of the Initial vapor temperature parameter to Tinit.
Initial fluid energy specification is Liquid mass fraction Mfrac,init is the value of the Initial liquid mass fraction parameter	Set Initial fluid fraction specification to Liquid mass fraction. Select Initial liquid and vapor volumes fully saturated. Set the value of the Initial liquid mass fraction parameter to Mfrac,init.
Initial fluid energy specification is Liquid volume fraction Vfrac,init is the value of the Initial liquid volume fraction parameter	Set Initial fluid fraction specification to Liquid volume fraction. Select Initial liquid and vapor volumes fully saturated. Set the value of the Initial liquid volume fraction parameter to Vfrac,init.
Initial fluid energy specification is Specific enthalpy hinit is the value of the Initial specific enthalpy parameter	Set Initial fluid fraction specification to Liquid mass fraction. Clear the Initial liquid and vapor volumes fully saturated check box. Set Initial fluid energy specification to Specific enthalpy. If hinit ≤ hsat,liq (pinit): Set the value of the Initial liquid mass fraction parameter to 1. Set the value of the Initial liquid specific enthalpy parameter to hinit. If hinit ≥ hsat,vap (pinit): Set the value of the Initial liquid mass fraction parameter to 0. Set the value of the Initial vapor specific enthalpy parameter to hinit. If hsat,liq (pinit) < hinit < hsat,vap (pinit): Set the value of the Initial liquid mass fraction parameter to $$\frac{h_{init}-h_{sat,liq}(p_{init})}{h_{sat,vap}(p_{init})-h_{sat,liq}(p_{init})}$$. Set the value of the Initial liquid specific enthalpy parameter to hsat,liq (pinit). Set the value of the Initial vapor specific enthalpy parameter to hsat,vap (pinit).
Initial fluid energy specification is Specific internal energy uinit is the value of the Initial specific internal energy parameter	Set Initial fluid fraction specification to Liquid mass fraction. Clear the Initial liquid and vapor volumes fully saturated check box. Set Initial fluid energy specification to Specific internal energy. If uinit ≤ usat,liq (pinit): Set the value of the Initial liquid mass fraction parameter to 1. Set the value of the Initial liquid specific internal energy parameter to uinit. If uinit ≥ usat,vap (pinit): Set the value of the Initial liquid mass fraction parameter to 0. Set the value of the Initial vapor specific internal energy parameter to uinit. If usat,liq (pinit) < uinit < usat,vap (pinit): Set the value of the Initial liquid mass fraction parameter to $$\frac{u_{init}-u_{sat,liq}(p_{init})}{u_{sat,vap}(p_{init})-u_{sat,liq}(p_{init})}$$. Set the value of the Initial liquid specific internal energy parameter to usat,liq (pinit). Set the value of the Initial vapor specific internal energy parameter to usat,vap (pinit).