Analysis and assessment of an advanced hydrogen liquefaction system

In the present work, an advanced hydrogen liquefaction system with catalyst infused heat exchangers is proposed, analyzed and assessed energetically and exergetically. The analysis starts with exergetic considerations on hydrogen liquefaction using different alternatives of pre-cooling including the conversion from normal to parahydrogen. It further explains the fundamentals of a proposed liquefaction process. The goal is then to assess the proposed system, make modifications and improve the system. The present system covers all of these portions of a hydrogen liquefaction system with an ultimate goal of achieving a sustainable and environmentally harmless system. The proposed hydrogen liquefaction system is simulated in the Aspen Plus and the performance of the system is measured through energy and exergy efficiencies. The resulting energy efficiency of the system is calculated to be 15.4%, and the exergy efficiency of the system is found to be 11.5%. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC.