TSAR – numerical LH2 tank simulation tool

Overview & Synopsis

The RUBHY (Responsible Unmanned Bird with HYdrogen) project was established at CT Ingénierie with the dual objectives of promoting sustainable alternatives in aviation and reducing the industry's carbon footprint. Introducing liquid hydrogen (LH2) as aviation fuel presents new challenges on-board the planes as well as on the ground. An in-house research project is being developed in our company to understand and regulate physical parameters of the cryogenic fluid throughout the various flight stages of fuel cell powered lightweight unmanned aerial vehicles. TSAR (Thermal Stratification in A Reservoir) is a numerical tool simulating the operation of a cryogenic hydrogen tank. The model accounts for the physics of liquid hydrogen in equilibrium with its vapour inside a cryogenic tank subjected to external heat flux. Using the REFPROP database the code incorporates real gas effects and a special study is being carried out regarding the discretization of the tank in a horizontal position. The presentation emphasises the key challenges related to fuel storage and their simulation in our numerical model.