Determination of Hydrogen’s Thermophysical Properties Using a Statistical Thermodynamic Method

Abstract

Accurate determination of the thermophysical properties of hydrogen is a crucial issue in hydrogen system design. By developing computational programs, a statistical thermodynamic model based on fundamental equations of state was implemented to determine hydrogen’s thermophysical properties, including the ortho-hydrogen fraction in equilibrium hydrogen, para-ortho hydrogen conversion heat, isobaric heat capacities and enthalpies. The deviations of calculated para-hydrogen enthalpies from REFPROP data were within 2.22%, ranging from 20 K to 300 K at 0.1 MPa, and within 2.32% between 100 K and 1500 K at pressures from 0.1 MPa to 20 MPa. To quantitatively assess the convenience of the statistical thermodynamic method, the running speeds of programs with different methods for determining hydrogen’s thermophysical properties were compared. The time required for statistical thermodynamic calculation was 7.95% that required for treading REFPROP data when the performance of the variable density multilayer insulation combined with a one vapor-cooled shield and para-ortho hydrogen conversion was calculated. The programs developed based on the statistical thermodynamic method can be used to determine the thermophysical properties of hydrogen or other fluids.