A Comparative Analysis of Analytical Models and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Simulations for Assessing Accidental Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) Release Scenarios During Bunkering Operations

Kurzfassung

Liquid hydrogen (LH2) is regarded as a promising alternative fuel for the future of maritime transport. The utilisation of this energy source within the naval industry gives rise to safety concerns in the event of liquid hydrogen leakage. The cryogenic nature of LH2 introduces exotic and complex physical phenomena, which are often overlooked by conventional analytical dispersion models employed in quantitative risk assessment. This thesis proposes a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methodology for simulating atmospheric LH2 releases. This numerical framework was compared with large-scale LH2 release tests that had been commissioned by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NRPA). The simulations demonstrate that thermal interactions of the hydrogen plume with the environment play a significant role in the dispersion process. Finally, the simulation was compared to analytical dispersion models. These moidels were found to be oversimplified in the context of LH2 dispersion.