VKI: Research Expertise Group on Liquid & Solid Propulsion (storage & transport of H2)

General expertise of the research group

DENSIFIED CRYOGENIC STORAGE
Experimental testing and numerical simulation of the fluid dynamic behaviour for 2-phase flows and multiphase flows, with application for liquid hydrogen and other cryogenic (e-)fuels. Extensive expertise is available from research on the propellant management system for space launchers. This expertise which has been developed for space applications, is now being transferred to terrestrial applications, both for terrestrial mobility (in ships, aircraft, heavy duty trucks…)  and for energy applications (long term H2 storage and long distance H2 transport).

Specific hydrogen- related expertise & research topics

• In general: numerical simulations of liquid hydrogen behaviour and performing experimental tests to validate the modelling
• Densified Cryogenic eFuels (“Slush”): hydrogen, methane, LNG (also applicable to CO2)

Available equipment/tools

• Numerical simulation platforms for CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics), e.g. EcosimPro, OpenFOAM®
• Experimental test facilities:
  • PREDICT and BECASSINE Facility: for testing for densified cryogenic (e-)fuels.
  • Particle Image Velocimetry

Participating in FL/B/EU funded projects with H2 related research:

• [SPACE] PREDICT DREAMS is the continuation of PREDICT (experimental characterization of a slurry flow or densified cryogenic flow in hydraulic similitude with future cryogenic propellant at the triple point) in the framework of a PhD thesis. In this activity, both numerical simulation and experimental investigations are carried out. A CFD solver based on a Euler-Euler approach coupled with the Granular Kinetic Energy theory is in development, satisfactory results were obtained once validated against the PREDICT experimental data. The final ambitious goal targets experiments characterizing a slush flow and possibly evaluate the solver performances. Funding: FRIA/FNRS and ESA – NPI.
• [ENERGY] Be-HyFE (Belgian Hydrogen Fundamental Expertise): this project aims at developing a Belgian PhD network with PhD level research on hydrogen, about many different topics across the hydrogen value chain. The VKI PhD will focus on advanced characterization of thermodynamic properties of densified cryogenic hydrogen (or e-fuels more in general): composition (crystals shape and size), aging dynamics (stratification, melting), rheology and behaviour in pipelines and their components. This densified cryogenic slush is a promising solution to increase the volumetric density for storage and increase the resistance against boil-offs and heat losses during long distance transportation. Funding: Energy Transition Fund, by the Belgian Federal Public Services “Economy”.

International and industrial collaborations

• Ariane Group (FR, DE)
• CiRA (UK)
• DLR (DE)
• Numeca (BE)
• Open Engineering (BE)
• Waseda University Tokyo (JPN)

Main relevant publications

1. Two-Phase Flows Investigations in Liquid Propulsion Systems: “TRL Booster” research at the von Karman Institute, by Jean-Baptiste Gouriet, Cryogenic Heat & Mass Transfer symposium, TU Twente (Enschede), november 2019