Abstract
For liquid hydrogen (LH2) to become a global, carbon-free energy commodity, scaling-up of liquefaction, storage and transport technologies requires extensive research and engineering. The present work analyses a large-scale LH2 transfer process from onshore storage to seaborne storage by dynamic simulations. Initial precooling of the transfer lines can be achieved by circulation of the naturally occurring boiloff gas from the onshore tank. In the subsequent LH2 transfer phase, the net vapour return flowrate to be handled in the hydrogen liquefier increases. An ejector is used to recompress the vapour return flow, the entrainment ratio of which increases from 5.7 % to 7.7 % due to the additional boiloff during LH2 transfer. Simulation results for a preliminary ejector design show ample recompression capacity, which indicates that the increased vapour return can be re-liquefied at the cost of additional refrigeration load and power in the liquefier. © 2019 International Institute of Refrigeration. All rights reserved