Hydrogen Energy Equipment

Liquid hydrogen storage tanks operate in an ultra-low temperature environment of approximately -253 °C. Such harsh conditions impose extremely high requirements on the low-temperature stress, thermal insulation performance, stability and safety of liquid hydrogen containers. Liquid hydrogen has stringent requirements for the thermal insulation technology of storage tanks, and multi-layer vacuum insulation technology is usually adopted. A typical liquid hydrogen storage tank adopts a double-shell structure.

A vacuum interlayer is set between the two shells. For small storage tanks with a volume of less than 40 cubic meters, the vacuum degree of the vacuum insulation layer is relatively higher (less than 10⁻³ MPa), while for large storage tanks, the vacuum degree of the vacuum insulation layer is lower (0.1 MPa). Structural supports are arranged between the double shells.

Since liquid hydrogen storage usually has an operating pressure within 0.5 MPa, the inner tank must have a certain pressure-bearing capacity, generally exceeding 1 MPa (which must be higher than the actuation pressure of the pressure relief protection device).

Due to the thermal stratification and thermal overfilling phenomena mentioned above, the storage tank must not be overfilled, and approximately 10% of headspace shall be reserved.