As a clean energy source, LH₂ is poised to play a pivotal role in future energy supplies. Currently, international hydrogen liquefaction facilities suffer from high energy consumption, high liquefaction costs, and low exergy efficiencies. In contrast, the development of cryogenic hydrogen liquefaction technologies and equipment in China is still in its infancy, significantly lagging behind advanced global standards. Against this backdrop, this paper summarizes the recent research advancements in hydrogen liquefaction technology, encompassing both process design and practical facilities. It delves into the latest developments in steady-state process simulation and dynamic characteristic studies, evaluating performance metrics across various liquefaction processes. Additionally, this paper provides an overview of the technical features and equipment layouts of large-scale hydrogen liquefaction plants and small-scale laboratory setups. Finally, it consolidates the key development priorities and future directions for hydrogen liquefaction technology, aiming to provide valuable guidance for technological progress and accelerate the widespread adoption of hydrogen energy.

Conventional distillation methods face significant challenges in xenon isotope separation. This paper proposes a cascaded distillation system based on a microchannel distillation (MCD) apparatus for ¹³⁶Xe enrichment. The relative volatilities, saturation vapor pressures, and enthalpies of vaporization of the nine Xe isotopes were determined, and a corresponding pseudo-component model was validated in Aspen Hyprotech Systems (HYSYS). A ternary model was then used to optimize the MCD parameters, identifying the optimal operating pressure, reflux ratio, and feed-to-product ratio effects on enrichment efficiency and reboiler power consumption. Subsequent optimization via uniform design, stepwise quadratic regression, non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA)-Ⅲ, and the technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) reduced power consumption while increasing ¹³⁶Xe abundance from 8.670% to 13.347%. This microchannel cascaded distillation system overcomes conventional limitations and offers a novel and efficient approach for ¹³⁶Xe enrichment with significant theoretical and practical implications.

Hydrogen energy, as a carbon-free energy source and a pivotal technology for attaining the goals of "carbon peaking and carbon neutrality", has attracted considerable global interest in recent years. The storage of liquid hydrogen offers several advantages owing to its high hydrogen storage density, low storage pressure, and high energy density. However, the industrial development of hydrogen energy still faces many problems. Technologies for large-scale, long-term storage and long-distance transportation are crucial problems in the utilization of liquid hydrogen. Therefore, it is necessary to develop efficient technologies for storing and transporting liquid hydrogen and to build large liquid hydrogen storage tanks with good thermal insulation performance. In this paper, the development status of large liquid hydrogen storage tank storage technology at home and abroad is reviewed, and key problems such as cryogenic insulation and material thermal stress in liquid hydrogen storage are analyzed. The difficulties associated with hydrogen storage and transportation are highlighted, and the development direction of liquid hydrogen storage technology is examined.