Numerical analysis of flow-induced noise during the charging of a fuel cell electric vehicle

Flow-induced noise during the charging of hydrogen fuel for a fuel cell electric vehicle is numerically analyzed. The noise over the entire storage system is predicted by solving the unsteady version of the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations and the Ffowcs Williams–Hawkings acoustic analogy. The accuracy of the simulation results is validated by comparing pressure, temperature, and sound pressure levels with experimental data. The contribution of each component to total noise is investigated by separately setting the integration surfaces of the acoustic analysis, and it is found that the receptacle produces the largest noise level. The large acoustic source terms, calculated by the total derivative of the pressure, occur where the pipe bends and at narrow passages of check valves. From the comparative analysis of different manifold branching configurations, a layout in which all the pipe junctions are concentrated in a single manifold leads to increased noise levels.