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journal article·2022-01-28Open access

A Numerical Study on Blade Design and Optimization of a Helium Expander for a Hydrogen Liquefaction Plant

Hyungsoo Lim, Jeongmin Seo, Mooryong Park, Bumseog Choi, Junyoung Park, Jesung Bang, Donghyun Lee, Byungock Kim, Soowon Kim, Youngchul Lim, Adrian Alford

Applied Sciences· Volume 12· Issue 3
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Source abstract

Abstract

A design process for cryogenic expanders that supplies 0.5 TPD of liquefied hydrogen in hydrogen liquefaction plants is introduced. To improve the efficiency of the expander, the optimum design was conducted by adjusting two rotor shape parameters. The designed expander for hydrogen liquefaction has a target rotation speed of 75,000 rpm, and helium is applied as the working fluid. Since the operating temperature of the expander is as low as 49 K, a design that reflects the real gas properties must be considered. For a high-efficiency hydrogen liquefaction plant, increasing the expander efficiency is one of the most critical issues. In this study, the efficiency of the cryogenic expander was optimized using the response surface method (RSM). The hub and shroud meridional contours and blade β angle distributions were chosen as the design parameters. As a result, through the optimized design, it was possible to improve the expander efficiency by up to 1.98% compared to the original expander. Flow analysis was conducted to investigate the reason for the efficiency improvement. Through this study, the effect of the blade meridional contour and blade β angle on the cryogenic expander efficiency was verified.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Engineering Applied Research · Spacecraft and Cryogenic Technologies · Mechanical Engineering and Vibrations Research

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Affiliations

Department of Energy Conversion Systems, Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials, Daejeon 34103, Korea

Department of System Dynamics, Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials, Daejeon 34103, Korea

Innovatium, Glasgow G46 8NG, Scotland, UK

Funding

the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP) and the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE) of the Republic of Korea · the Korea Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transportation and the Korean Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement · a National Research Council of Science and Technology (NST) grant funded by the Min-istry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, Korea

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