Development of large scale LH2 containment for shipping

The scope of this topic is to develop and validate containment concepts intended for the bulk shipping of liquid hydrogen. The concepts developed should also be suitable for a later scale-up.

Multiple European technology providers have started to design and develop LH₂ containment solutions, e.g. based on the IMO Type B, Type C and membrane tank designs currently available for LNG shipping, as well as for other novel concepts. Due to the considerably lower temperature of LH₂ than LNG, as well as the lower heat of vaporisation and different material compatibility characteristics, totally novel insulation concepts need to be developed if LH₂ should be contained with equally or lower boil-off rate as current LNG concepts.

The scope for the proposed project should include:

• Concept selection for large scale LH₂ containment to be used in shipping;
• Approval in Principle (AIP) for the LH₂ containment concept by one of the major IACS classification societies;
• Materials and component selection and integrity testing for LH₂ exposure, e.g. strength, ductility, toughness, thermal expansion, sloshing and compatibility;
• Sub-system testing for thermo-mechanical validation;
• Detailed design, construction, and testing of a scaled-down prototype of at least 10 t LH₂ capacity;
• General Approval for the LH2 containment system by one of the major IACS classification societies;
• Development of a preliminary integrated ship design with a corresponding cost estimation;

The topic could have potential synergies with the topic from ZEWT: HORIZON-CL5-2021-D5-01-07 “Enabling the safe and efficient on-board storage and integration within ships of large quantities of ammonia and hydrogen fuels”, but the targeted tank size in the present topic will most likely require a different conceptual approach.

Proposals are expected to address sustainability and circularity aspects.

Activities are expected to start at TRL 2-3 and achieve TRL 5 by the end of the project.

The conditions related to this topic are provided in the chapter 2.2.3.2 of the Clean Hydrogen JU 2022 Annual Work Plan and in the General Annexes to the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2021–2022 which apply mutatis mutandis.