Comparative analysis of CFD models to simulate temperature non-uniformity during hydrogen tank refuelling

Abstract

This study compares four computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models, i.e. k-ε, RSM, SAS, and LES, to simulate temperature non-uniformity during hydrogen tank refuelling. Three grids with a total number of control volumes of 64k, 363k, and 2.9 M were used. The maximum dimensionless wall distances, y+, were 80, 5 and 2.5, respectively. The predictive capability of the models was assessed by recommended statistical indicators using ten thermocouple locations during 620 s of the experiment. The comparative analysis demonstrated a better predictive capability of temperature non-uniformity and stratification by the LES model and a shorter simulation time. It is concluded that meshes with y+ larger than 80 would overpredict the average hydrogen temperature while meshes with y+<5 provide a good simulation accuracy. The results underline the importance of the turbulence model choice and the numerical grid resolution for proper prediction of temperature non-uniformity during hydrogen tank refuelling.