Researchers begin path to mega-scale liquid hydrogen storage
A team of University of Melbourne researchers will work with leading Australian and international industry partners to develop mega-scale liquid hydrogen storage systems and infrastructure for energy export terminals and vessels. The team aims to help build a clean, safe and competitive hydrogen industry in Australia and beyond.
The project has been made possible through a $3.1 million grant from the Federal Government’s Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), awarded through its Hydrogen R&D funding round, which aims to help Australia meet its hydrogen export goals and decarbonisation targets.
A major stumbling block to the uptake of liquid hydrogen globally has been the lack of large-scale storage infrastructure and transport vessels that can safely handle the volume needed for hydrogen use in sectors such as transport, heating and power generation.
Aerial drone image of a liquefied natural gas terminal used for import and/or export.
(Picture: Shutterstock)
Project leader, Dr Shanaka Kristombu Baduge, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Infrastructure Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, said the team will develop and integrate cutting-edge technologies and cryogenic testing capabilities at the extremely low temperatures needed to liquefy and store hydrogen, ie -253.15 degrees Celsius (20 Kelvin).
“These innovations are critical for enabling large-scale hydrogen export and import operations and will position Australia at the forefront of the emerging hydrogen economy,” Dr Baduge said.
“Mega-scale storage tanks with higher safety and lower operational and capital cost are essential for Australia to achieve the throughput needed for export and transport through ships.”
Together with Professor Priyan Mendis from the Department of Infrastructure Engineering and Associate Professor Gang (Kevin) Li from the Department of Chemical Engineering, the team will collaborate with a consortium of innovative partners, including GenH2 Discover Hydrogen, Energy Evolution LLC, Omni Tanker Pty Ltd, ETA Space LLC, McDermott’s CB&I and Rotork Australia Pty Ltd.
Joint investigators include world experts such as Ex-NASA veteran Mr James Fesmire (GenH2) – a NASA Hall of Famer and founder of the Kennedy Space Centre’s Cryogenic Testing Lab; ex-NASA veteran Mr Bill Nortardonato (ETA Space), Mr David Creech (CB&I), Dr Luke Djukic (Omni Tanker) and Mr Andy Evans (Rotork).
Hydrogen Storage Units in Kennedy Space Centre, NASA with 4,700 m3 capacity. (Picture: Supplied)
Hydrogen in liquid form (LH2) provides a concentrated form of hydrogen and is considered as a feasible way to store and transport hydrogen. In gas form, hydrogen has an extremely low density (0.08375 kg/m³) at room temperature, so it is impossible to store for widespread use, given the size of tanks that would be needed for storage.
Hydrogen is liquefied at -253 degrees Celsius (20 K) to achieve the higher density (70 kg/m3) that enables large-scale storage and transportation. Currently, NASA has the world’s largest LH2 storage tank, with a 4,700 m3 capacity, and CB&I is capable of designing an LH2 sphere with a 50,000 m3 capacity.
However, for a full-scale global LH2 trade operation, and to minimise the cost of storage per LH2 litre, mega-scale storage tanks – comparable to existing liquefied natural gas cylindrical tanks, with a capacity of 200,000 m3 or more – are essential.
Thus, the team’s main goal is to achieve LH2 storage facilities with an unprecedented capacity of up to 200,000 m3 while considering constraints in construction, safety and cost. To be successful, this will require innovations that incorporate full containment and zero evaporation ('boil-off') measures that allow safe storage of cryogenic hydrogen over time safely with lower operational cost.
Proposed cryostats for the cryonic testing platform. Image 1) Mechanical testing at 20K, 2) Insulation testing at 77 K, 3) CS100 Cyrostat by GenH2, and 4) LH2 leak testing and micro cracking apparatus. (Picture: Supplied)
In the first, core research stage of the project, the team will focus on simulating cryogenic ‘boil-off’ gas, which is the boiling of liquid hydrogen that causes gas to evaporate due to heat leak from the outside to the cold. They will also be developing advanced materials and systems for magnetic refrigeration, which uses the relationship between a magnetic field and entropy in certain materials to achieve extremely low temperatures, and testing lab-scale prototypes of the proposed storage tank.
The second, research commercialisation stage will involve fabricating and validating a prototype tank (1:200,000) with the proposed configuration including integrated insulation systems and a magnetic refrigeration unit.
Dr Baduge said by introducing technology that achieves super-insulated, full-containment features, the proposed storage method will greatly reduce capital storage costs, ‘boil-off’ gas costs and the risk and cost of LH2 loss in the event of leaks or vacuum failures.
“A key element will be the development of active magnetic refrigeration technology with new magnetocaloric materials, such as rare earth elements and their alloys, and ortho-para conversion, specifically designed for cryogenic boil-off gas, which will be integrated into the tank, leading to a zero-boil-off solution with lower operational cost,” he said.
“This innovation will significantly outperform the current scale, cost and safety of conventional spherical storage tanks and will enable commercial-scale liquid hydrogen storage.
“Furthermore, a new Cryostat CS500 simulation test platform that is being installed on campus will allow us to test thermal insulation systems at vacuum conditions that are needed for future clean energy infrastructures.”
The project is expected to be completed by the end of March 2029.
Read more here: https://arena.gov.au/projects/mega-scale-liquid-h2-storage-with-super-insulated-full-containment-and-zero-boil-off/