CFD-Simulation of Hydrogen Jet Flames

Abstract

Hydrogen has the potential to transform various industries as a promising energy source. Its versatility and clean-burning properties make it an attractive option for reducing emissions in power generation, transportation, maritime activities, and heavy industries. By integrating hydrogen into these sectors, we can move towards a more sustainable and environmentally friendly energy landscape. However, hydrogen's flammability presents significant risks, potentially causing severe infrastructure damage and posing dangers to human safety. Therefore, robust safety measures and advanced technologies are crucial to mitigate these risks and fully harness hydrogen's potential.

The primary objective of this thesis has been to conduct a numerical study of these experiments using the CFD tool OpenFOAM. This includes evaluating how well the software performs and exploring the use of a notional nozzle in the simulations.

OpenFOAM proves to be an effective tool for simulating high-pressure hydrogen jets, although the computational resources available impose constraints that make it challenging to accurately resolve flows at the speed of sound. The potential impact related to reducing the speed to maintain numerical stability should be further investigated to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the simulations.

Overall, the implementation of a notional nozzle demonstrates significant potential for simulating high-pressure hydrogen jets using OpenFOAM. However, further simulations are necessary to provide a more comprehensive understanding before any final conclusions can be made regarding the effectiveness of this approach. Due to the time- consuming nature of the simulations, only 1.8 seconds were simulated in this project. This limited runtime resulted in insufficient data points, but it is was evident that the temperature stabilises and decreases after some time, something which correlates well with experiments conducted. Future simulations with longer runtimes could provide more detailed insights.