Numerical Study of Liquid Hydrogen Internal Flow in Liquid Hydrogen Storage Tank

Xiang Li, Qun Wei, Lianyan Yu, Xiaobin Zhang (), Yiting Zou, Yongcheng Zhu, Yanbo Peng, Daolin Wang, Zexian Zhu, Xianlei Chen, Yalei Zhao, Chengxu Tu () and Fubing Bao ()
Additional contact information
Xiang Li: Baima Lake Laboratory Hydrogen Energy (ChangXing) Co., Ltd., Huzhou 313117, China
Qun Wei: Fujian Key Laboratory of Energy and Carbon Measurement (Fujian Metrology Institute), Fuzhou 350100, China
Lianyan Yu: Baima Lake Laboratory Hydrogen Energy (ChangXing) Co., Ltd., Huzhou 313117, China
Xiaobin Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power Transmission and Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Yiting Zou: Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Flow Measurement Technology, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
Yongcheng Zhu: Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Flow Measurement Technology, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
Yanbo Peng: Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Flow Measurement Technology, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
Daolin Wang: Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Flow Measurement Technology, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
Zexian Zhu: Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Flow Measurement Technology, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
Xianlei Chen: Zhoushan Institute of Calibration and Testing for Quality and Technology Supervision, Zhoushan 316000, China
Yalei Zhao: Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Flow Measurement Technology, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
Chengxu Tu: Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Flow Measurement Technology, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
Fubing Bao: Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Flow Measurement Technology, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018, China

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-20

Abstract: As a key zero-carbon energy carrier, the accurate measurement of liquid hydrogen flow in its industrial chain is crucial. However, the ultra-low temperature, ultra-low density and other properties of liquid hydrogen can introduce calibration errors. To enhance the measurement accuracy and reliability of liquid hydrogen flow, this study investigates the heat and mass transfer within a 1 m 3 non-vented storage tank during the calibration process of a liquid hydrogen flow standard device that integrates combined dynamic and static gravimetric methods. The vertical tank configuration was selected to minimize the vapor–liquid interface area, thereby suppressing boil-off gas generation and enhancing pressure stability, which is critical for measurement accuracy. Building upon research on cryogenic flow standard devices as well as tank experiments and simulations, this study employs computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with Fluent 2024 software to numerically simulate liquid hydrogen flow within a non-vented tank. The thermophysical properties of hydrogen, crucial for the accuracy of the phase-change simulation, were implemented using high-fidelity real-fluid data from the NIST Standard Reference Database, as the ideal gas law is invalid under the cryogenic conditions studied. Specifically, the Lee model was enhanced via User-Defined Functions (UDFs) to accurately simulate the key phase-change processes, involving coupled flash evaporation and condensation during liquid hydrogen refueling. The simulation results demonstrated good agreement with NASA experimental data. This study systematically examined the effects of key parameters, including inlet flow conditions and inlet liquid temperature, on the flow characteristics of liquid hydrogen entering the tank and the subsequent heat and mass transfer behavior within the tank. The results indicated that an increase in mass flow rate elevates tank pressure and reduces filling time. Conversely, a decrease in the inlet liquid hydrogen temperature significantly intensifies heat and mass transfer during the initial refueling stage. These findings provide important theoretical support for a deeper understanding of the complex physical mechanisms of liquid hydrogen flow calibration in non-vented tanks and for optimizing calibration accuracy.

Keywords: liquid hydrogen flow standard; mass method; tank refueling; flash; flow metering (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/21/5592/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/21/5592/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:21:p:5592-:d:1778802

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Cassie Shen

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().