CFD-DEM Modeling of Cryogenic Hydrogen Flow and Heat Transfer in Packed Bed

Xin Quan, Yongfang Xia () and Quanchen Zhang
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Xin Quan: School of Environment and Energy Engineering, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei 230009, China
Yongfang Xia: School of Environment and Energy Engineering, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei 230009, China
Quanchen Zhang: School of Environment and Energy Engineering, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei 230009, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 11, 1-19

Abstract: Hydrogen is an important component of renewable energy and is essential for sustainable development. The cryogenic energy storage system can solve the problem of hydrogen storage. A packed bed can be applied in a cryogenic energy storage system. It is crucial to understand the cryogenic energy discharging in a packed bed. In the present work, the CFD-DEM coupling method is used to investigate the pore-scale flow and heat transfer characteristics of cryogenic hydrogen flowing through the packed bed. To demonstrate the characteristics of the pore-scale heat transfer of the hydrogen flow in a packed bed, the local radial-averaged and axial-averaged temperatures and velocities are analyzed in detail, depending on the local porosity distribution. The pore-scale radial-averaged velocity distribution is proportional to the local radial porosity distribution, whereas the pore-scale radial-averaged temperature characteristics are inverse. Moreover, for the heat exchange of the cryogenic hydrogen flow in a packed bed, it can be found that the cryogenic hydrogen flow is fully heated at an axial distance of approximately 7 dp. Finally, considering that the thermo-physical properties of cryogenic hydrogen are sensitive to the temperature in a packed bed, the friction factor and Nusselt number in the packed bed are also analyzed under various operating parameters, which are in good agreement with certain classic empirical correlations.

Keywords: CFD-DEM coupling; hydrogen flow; packed bed; pore-scale heat transfer (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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