Large Vacuum-Insulated Liquid Hydrogen Tank Gains AiP
Lloyd's Register (LR) has awarded Approval in Principle (AiP) to HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) for its pioneering vacuum-insulated large-scale liquid hydrogen (LH₂) tank system.
The successful testing of a large-scale vacuum chamber for this AiP marked the world’s first technical validation of large-scale LH₂ tank insulation design.
The vacuum insulation system addresses some of the most pressing challenges of using hydrogen in the maritime industry: the scalability of liquefied hydrogen storage and transportation of the fuel, says LR.
Storing liquid hydrogen at -253°C while minimizing boil-off gas requires vacuum-insulated tanks similar to thermos flasks, but achieving this on a large scale in ships is technically unproven. For example, NASA’s largest existing LH₂ tank holds 5,000 m³ yet ship-based applications may require tanks over four times larger.
HD KSOE’s vacuum system provides an innovative solution that drastically reduces the time required to achieve a vacuum in large tanks.
Global hydrogen industry participants, including Woodside Energy, Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL), and Hyundai Glovis, contributed to the design development and validation. The system and test results were shared with these companies and international classification societies, including LR, who confirmed a significant reduction in vacuum time in shipyards.