The effects of infill on hydrogen tank temperature distribution during fast fill

The temperature rise of hydrogen tank during fast fill poses challenge on the safety of hydrogen-powered vehicles. Researchers have been continuously looking for methods to mitigate the challenge of overheating. In this paper, we proposed an innovative solution by introducing porous infill in gas tanks to slow down gas-to-wall heat transfer. The porosity of the infill is no less than 97% to maintain the volume capacity of gas tanks. To evaluate the impact of infill heat capacity, we modelled the filling process with a lumped-parameter model and obtained various time-independent temperature evolution curves. Then, we set up a 2D and a 3D finite volume model and investigated the spatial distribution of temperature rise. Four cases with different infill properties were simulated and compared. At the end of the fast fill, the infill resulted in lower tank wall temperature at the cost of higher gas temperature. The combined effect of internal gas temperature and gas-phase effective thermal conductivity largely determines the final temperature distribution. The presence of infill effectively slowed down convective heat transfer, yet overly resistive porous infill may overly slow down the gas flow and result in thermal stratification. Further studies on infill design can be done to seek more effective solutions. (C) 2021 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The paper discusses the challenge of temperature rise in hydrogen tanks during fast fill for hydrogen-powered vehicles and proposes an innovative solution of using porous infill to slow down heat transfer. The presence of infill effectively reduces tank wall temperature but increases gas temperature, with the combined effect of internal gas temperature and gas-phase effective thermal conductivity largely determining the final temperature distribution. Further studies on infill design are suggested to seek more effective solutions.