Design and optimization of a novel flowmeter for liquid hydrogen

Abstract

The wide spreading hydrogen energy requires accurate flow measurement. Constriction type flowmeters could be a favorable candidate for liquid hydrogen. However, their permanent pressure losses and installation length could significantly increase the manufacturing, installation, metering, maintenance, and replacement cost. The high permanent pressure losses may also cause cavitation. The present research introduces a novel constriction type flowmeter with an optimized flow profile. Numerical simulation, as well as multidimensional and multi-objective optimization, was utilized in order to minimize the flowmeter's loss coefficient and the required installation length. The applied optimization technique results in significant improvements of the flowmeter design and performance. The proposed flowmeter is shorter than the standard Venturi nozzle by 67.2% and its loss coefficient is lower by up to 10.6%. It measures the flow rate of liquid hydrogen with up to 25.5% higher discharge coefficient and 83.7% lower loss coefficient compared to a corresponding perforated plate flowmeter. Cavitation was not detected inside the proposed flowmeter up to a Reynolds number of 2.2 × 106. The present investigation shows that the proposed flowmeter is very promising for liquid hydrogen measurement.