Recently, Zhangjiagang CIMC Sanctum Cryogenic Equipment Co., Ltd (CIMC Sanctum), a subsidiary of CIMC Enrico, has officially started the construction of the first commercial liquid hydrogen ball tank in China.
Liquid hydrogen storage and transportation technology is one of the core support technologies for national strategic competition globally, and belongs to strategic emerging industry technology. The boiling point of liquid hydrogen is extremely low, so liquid hydrogen storage requires high reliability of the device. The commercialization of liquid hydrogen ball tanks has been a pressing challenge in China for many years, so this successful development of the first commercial liquid hydrogen ball tank is a milestone.
It is reported that the liquid hydrogen ball tank is a double-layer vacuum spherical container, with a total volume of 400 m³, and the loading capacity of liquid hydrogen can be more than 25 tons.
Liquid hydrogen has the characteristics of ultra-low temperature, extremely easy to vaporize, strong permeability and diffusivity, therefore, it has high requirements for storage and transportation equipment.
CIMC Enrico has overcome many technical difficulties such as material selection under ultra-low temperature zone, ultra-low temperature welding, structural design and insulation design under large temperature difference, insulation material wrapping under harsh conditions of on-site construction, high vacuum obtaining and long-lasting maintenance, etc.
Compared to factory-built liquid hydrogen fixed vacuum storage tanks, liquid hydrogen ball tanks can be constructed on site, making it easier to realize larger volumes, reducing the number of hydrogen storage containers on site and lowering the overall construction costs. It also has the advantages of large storage capacity and high storage efficiency to meet the needs of large-scale liquid hydrogen storage and supply.
This liquid hydrogen ball tank can be applied to liquid hydrogen plants, large liquid hydrogen reserve stations, space launch sites, ocean transportation and other scenarios, and serve customers in the energy industry, chemical synthesis industry, metallurgy industry and other industries. Therefore, commercial liquid hydrogen ball tanks are the core equipment indispensable for realizing large-scale hydrogen storage and supply, and they are also the key link in the large-scale commercial hydrogen industry chain.