# Study of the hydrodynamic phenomena of three-phase reactors: hydrogenation and dehydrogenation of Liquid Organic H2 Carriers

Andrea Murlo, Alban Chappaz, Carlotta Panzone, Isabelle Pitault

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Andrea Murlo, Alban Chappaz, Carlotta Panzone, Isabelle Pitault. Study of the hydrodynamic phenomena of three-phase reactors: hydrogenation and dehydrogenation of Liquid Organic H2 Carriers. 5èmes Réunions Plenières de la Fédération HYDROGENE (FRH2) du CNRS, Nov 2025, Annecy, France. hal-05531355

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https://hal.science/hal-05531355v1

Submitted on 28 Feb 2026

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# Study of the hydrodynamic phenomena of three-phase reactors: hydrogenation and dehydrogenation of Liquid Organic H₂ Carriers

MURLO A.¹,², CHAPPAZ A.¹, PANZONE C.¹, PITAULT I.²

¹CEA, Grenoble, 38000, France

²Université Claude Bernard, Lyon, 69100, France

Liquid Organics Hydrogen Carriers (LOHCs) are family of compounds that can be utilized for hydrogen storage and transport. Based on previous research done at CEA [1], this work focuses on the use of γ-butyrolactone (GBL) and 1,4-butanediol (BDO) as LOHCs, due to their optimal properties and potential bio-based origin. Unlike traditional commercial processes (e.g., hydrogenation), this technology involves a different hydrogen consumption [2]. In addition, the gas-to-liquid volumetric flow ratio in the three-phase reactor changes significantly during hydrogenation and dehydrogenation. These variations affect the hydrodynamics and, consequently, the overall performance of the system. For this reason, a complete description of the hydrodynamics is essential. To isolate the hydrodynamic behaviour, reaction and thermal effects were initially excluded from the analysis. Inert compounds—nitrogen and ethyl acetate—were selected as fluid media to operate at ambient conditions. Ethyl acetate was chosen because, under these conditions, its density, surface tension, and viscosity are comparable to those of GBL/BDO under process operating conditions [1]. An initial computational model of the inert system was developed to analyse the effects of different inputs, such

as fluid velocities and pressure. Experimental validation is required, to this end, a pilot system has been designed (Figure 1), and the corresponding experimental procedure has been defined. Future work will then extend the study to include reaction and thermal aspects, and to evaluate their influence on hydrodynamics.

<figure><img src="image_2.png" /><figcaption>Figure 1. Pilot schema.</figcaption></figure>

<footnote>[1] C. Quasmi, *Stockage d'hydrogène par de nouveaux vecteurs liquides biosourcés (LOHC)*, **2022**.</footnote>

<footnote>[2] V. Meille, P. Isabelle, *Stockage chimique de l'hydrogène dans les liquides organiques (LOHC)*, Techniques de l'Ingénieur **2024**, HY3700, v1.</footnote>