Hydrogen gas at 25C and 1 atm (101.

325 kPa) is to be liquefied in a

precooled LindeHampson cycle. Hydrogen gas is compressed to a pressure
of 10 MPa in the compressor which has an isothermal efficiency of 65%. The
effectiveness of heat exchangers is 90%. Determine (a) the heat removed
from hydrogen and the minimum work input, (b) the fraction of the gas
liquefied, and (c) the work input in the compressor per unit mass of liquefied
hydrogen.
Makeup gas is mixed with the uncondensed portion of the gas from the previous cycle, and
the mixture at state 2 is compressed by a multistage compressor to state 3. The
compression process approaches an isothermal process due to intercooling. The high-
pressure gas is cooled in an aftercooler by a cooling medium or by a separate external
refrigeration system to state 4. The gas is further cooled in a regenerative counter-flow heat
exchanger by the uncondensed portion of gas from the previous cycle to state 5, and it is
throttled to state 6, which is a saturated liquidvapor mixture state. The liquid (state 7) is
collected as the desired product, and the vapor (state 8) is routed through the regenerator
to cool the high-pressure gas approaching the throttling valve. Finally, the gas is mixed with
fresh makeup gas, and the cycle is repeated.

Properties of hydrogen in the cycle at various states are as follows:

h7 = 271.1 kJ/kg
h1 = 4200 kJ/kg
h4 = 965.4 kJ/kg
h9 = 1147.7 kJ/kg
s7 = 17.09 kJ/kg K
s1 = 70.42 kJ/kg K
Let

m7
y= m4

m8
1-y = m4

LCM:
m3=m4 =m5=m6

m6=m7 +m8

m8 = m9

Energy balance
 m
( 9 h9 + m7 h7 )m4 h 4=0

m 7= y m 4

m9=(1 y )m4

m
y ( 4 h7 )m 4 h 4=0
m4 (1 y)(h 9)+

(1 y )(h9 )+ y h7h 4=0

y h7 y h9 =h4 h9

h4 h9
y= h7h9

Solution
a.) the heat removed from hydrogen and the minimum work input

The heat rejection from hydrogen gas is

qL = h7 h1 = (271.1 - 4200) kJ/kg = -3929 kJ/kg

Since T1 = T2 = 25 C = 298.15 K, the minimum work

input is determined from: H = Q + W
Q = TS
W= H Q
W= H TS

Wmin = (h7 h1) T1(s7 s1 )

Wmin = (271.1 -4200) kJ/kg (298.15 K)(17.09 70.42) kJ/kg K
Wmin = 11,963 kJ/kg
b.) the fraction of the gas liquefied
h4 h9
y= h7h9

965. 41147 .7
y= 271 .11147 . 7

y = 0.208

c.) the work input in the compressor per unit mass of liquefied
hydrogen
For an isothermal and reversible work of an ideal gas supplied to the
compressor:

P out
Wrev= nRT ln ( )
P

Since the isothermal efficiency is the ratio of the work required to compress a gas isothermally to
the work actually done by the compressor,

Pout
nRT ln( )
P
Wc, actual =
c

P3
nRT ln ( )
P2
Wc, actual =
c

P1 = P2 = 0.101325 MPa
P3 = 10 MPa
c = 0.65

T2 = T3 = 298.15 K
mass P
( )(RT )ln( 3 )
MW =2.016 P2
Wc, actual =
c

To make it specific work:

8.314 10
( )(298.15 K )ln ( )
MW =2.016 0.101325
Wc, actual =
0.65

Wc, actual = 8686.4737 kJ/kg