The National Composites Centre has announced that it has successfully tested a range of composite cryogenic storage tanks with liquid hydrogen that it has designed and manufactured.
Two tanks were tested using liquid hydrogen; one of a single piece construction and one of a split piece design, to assess viability for the design and manufacture of large tanks. The tanks were 30 litres in capacity, designed for a pressure of 8 bar, and manufactured using automated fibre placement on-site at the National Composites Centre. The tanks comprised only a single skin to contain the liquid hydrogen, and were mounted within a vacuum chamber at FSE’s test facility to provide insulation.
The one-piece tank was subject to 10 thermal cycles of being emptied and re-filled with liquid hydrogen, up to a pressure of 1 bar, followed by a single pressure cycle up to 7 bar. The two-piece tank underwent 10 pressure cycles from 0 to 7 bar at LH2 (-253°C) temperature. The results have enabled model validation, with further cycling scheduled at FSE to test alternative end boss designs using the same composite tank.
Marcus Walls-Bruck, Head of Hydrogen Technologies at the NCC said: “Our results and novel methods developed will enable rapid advancement within the UK, building fundamental understanding of the challenges in designing and manufacturing cryogenic tanks. This is a significant step forward in the UK goal to develop capability in designing and manufacturing hydrogen powered aircraft of the future.”
photo of NCC
Press release https://is.gd/KaaECm
