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Simulation-driven Insights into the Thermal and Hydrodynamic Behavior of Liquid Hydrogen Under Dynamic Sloshing Conditions

The rapid decarbonization of industry and transport is a central challenge to the transition to a more competitive and greener economy. Hydrogen is seen by many as an energy vector with potential to decarbonize industries such as aerospace and heavy goods transport which cannot be easily electrified. In these sectors which need a higher energy density than is available from existing battery technology, hydrogen is likely to play a significant role in the decarbonization strategy. Whereas gaseous hydrogen in high pressure storage tanks is a feasible solution for ground-based and water-based transport, the associated weight penalty of high pressure tanks makes it less suited for the aerospace industry, where liquid Hydrogen is the preferred alternative. Liquid hydrogen storage is itself not a novel technology, and has been experimentally explored since the 1970s by NASA, who were primarily interested in its application as a fuel for rockets and aircraft. These experiments revealed certain phenomena of interest related to the thermal and hydrodynamic behaviour of liquid hydrogen (LH2) in moving tanks which could have an impact on LH2 used in the aerospace industry where fuel sloshing is expected to occur. With recent advancements in numerical methods and computational resources, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has proven itself to be an effective tool for design space exploration and the uncovering of a more in-depth understanding of the thermal and hydrodynamic behaviour of boiling liquid flows and sloshing tanks. This paper outlines the findings from studies conducted by Element Digital Engineering (EDE) using CFD to advance the understanding of LH2 behaviour in long term storage. Commercial CFD tools have been used to develop and validated a capability for predicting hydrodynamics and liquid phase change in sloshing tanks, before extending this capability to LH2.. New relationships derived from literature have been implemented to better predict interfacial boiling heat transfer coefficients. The study results show the likely impact of dynamic sloshing of LH2 tanks on temperatures and pressures within the tank.

Document Details

ReferenceNWC23-0330-presentation
AuthorsApetrei. R Brown. E Kakimpa. B
LanguageEnglish
TypePresentation
Date 17th May 2023
OrganisationElement Digital Engineering
RegionGlobal

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