Modelling the mechanical behaviour of sodium borohydride before, during and after time consolidation using DEM

Modelling the mechanical behaviour of sodium borohydride before, during and after time consolidation using DEM

Kalpoe, Arvind (TU Delft Mechanical Engineering; TU Delft Applied Sciences)

van Benten, M.C. (mentor)
Schott, D.L. (graduation committee)

Delft University of Technology

Marine Technology | Transport Engineering and Logistics

2024-06-05

Currently, one of the biggest challenges humanity faces is climate change. Reduction of fossil fuels is demanded in the future, hence an energy transition is required. A promising potential alternative fuel is the energy carrier NaBH₄ which contains hydrogen (H₂). Handling and storing NaBH₄ provides challenges and the bulk behaviour of NaBH₄ is not well-known. NaBH₄ is potentially affected by time consolidation when storing the material inside a silo and to capture the effect on NaBH₄ a method to model time consolidation using the Discrete Element Method is proposed. To calibrate the simulation model, data is required and to gather data, time consolidation experiments were performed using Schulze's Ring Shear Tester. The shear stress was determined for different consolidation times. Next, the simulation model's two most influential parameters (static friction and surface energy) were selected to calibrate and verify the contact model based on the experimental data.  The found relationship of the two parameters over time can be used to instantly create a time-consolidated particle bed after a certain consolidation time, reducing the computational time required to analyse the material behaviour after longer storage periods.  

DEM
Time consolidation
NaBH4
Time consolidation experiment
Time consolidation modelling
Ring Shear Tester

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:82f61df0-0a57-468c-a248-9e0251142ce4

Student theses

master thesis

© 2024 Arvind Kalpoe