Pressure–composition design-space optimization of H2-He-Ne working fluids for 20–100 K shipboard LH2 cold-energy recovery

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Liu, Yinhua and Zhou, Peilin and Wang, Haibin and Gu, Binteng and Yang, Lin (2026) Pressure–composition design-space optimization of H2-He-Ne working fluids for 20–100 K shipboard LH2 cold-energy recovery. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 247. 155803. ISSN 0360-3199 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2026.155803)

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Abstract

Shipboard LH2 regasification releases substantial cold energy in the 20-100 K range, where working fluid applicability, heat matching, and pressure limits strongly constrain recovery performance. This study maps the pressure-composition design space of H2-He-Ne working fluids for a supercritical closed Brayton type loop coupled with a direct expansion branch. Cycle pressure and composition are optimized for net power output and total annualized cost, while working fluid mass flow rate is scanned as a cycle-scale variable. The results show that pure H2 defines the high-output boundary, pure Ne represents a low-cost but low-utilization boundary, and the engineering compromise is located in the H -rich mixture region rather than at a pure fluid endpoint. Equipment cost and exergy results indicate that high-output designs require larger compressor, expander, and heat transfer capacities. Mass flow scanning identifies a scale benefit plateau near 1.00-1.15 kg/s, beyond which further scaling provides limited benefit.

ORCID iDs

Liu, Yinhua, Zhou, Peilin ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4808-8489, Wang, Haibin ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3520-6856, Gu, Binteng ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0556-2474 and Yang, Lin;
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