Unveiling the impact of internal structure on boil-off gas generation in moving liquid hydrogen (LH2) transport trailer

Global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have increased interest in hydrogen as a clean energy source. However, efficient storage and transportation of liquid hydrogen present significant challenges, particularly due to the generation of boil-off gas (BOG) during transit. This study investigated the effectiveness of sloshing-damping structures within cryogenic liquid hydrogen tankers to reduce BOG generation under road transportation conditions. Six tanker configurations––unbaffled, solid baffled, center-holed baffled, porous baffled, ball-filled baffle, and multi-orifice baffled––were analyzed using three-dimensional computational simulations. The simulations utilized a three-step simulation process incorporating stationary initialization, acceleration, and constant-velocity phases to examine the effects of different internal geometries on convective velocities, temperature and pressure distributions, and vapor–liquid interface fluctuations. The results show that the multi-orifice baffled tanker achieves the highest reduction in BOG, yielding a boil-off rate (BOR) up to 44 % compared with other designs. Additionally, baffle ball-filled tankers exhibited unique vaporization patterns. These findings offer valuable insights for optimizing tanker designs to ensure stable transit and minimize hydrogen loss. The developed simulation framework can further support hydrogen loss predictions across various transportation scenarios, promoting more efficient hydrogen transport solutions.