Periodic Reporting for period 1 - NICOLHy (Novel Insulation Concepts For LH2 Storage Tanks)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2024-01-01 do 2025-06-30
An important element of the European Hydrogen Strategy is the development of an international Hydrogen (H2) trade. In an established hydrogen economy, gaseous hydrogen can be ideally transported by pipelines and stored in geological reservoirs. Suitable geological conditions for underground storages do not exist in all EU member states, and pipelines are only partially suitable for transporting hydrogen. The bulk storage of hydrogen is a strategy to counteract this, as its large-scale storage and transport have significantly lower environmental and global-social requirements. For the bulk transport, Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) is attractive by its much higher volumetric energy density than compressed gaseous hydrogen (CGH) and making it the optimal choice for the bulk transport by ships. Furthermore, LH2 has several advantages compared to other derivates. It enables the cost-efficient reuse of the existing Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) infrastructure, it offers the import of carbon-free pure hydrogen and enables the flexible distribution to sites where a pipeline infrastructure is not available. LH2 can thus provide a valuable contribution to the EU's energy supply security. However, large tanks for the storage of LH2 do not yet exist. There is a need for further mature concepts for the design and construction, which enable high availability and up-scaling.
In the EU-funded NICOLHy project, researchers from Germany, Italy, Greece and Norway work on a novel thermal insulation concept based on Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIP) that could enable the safe, cost- and energy-efficient storage of large quantities of LH2. Such large-scale LH2 storage technology is necessary to build tanks with capacities of 40.000 m³ to more than 200.000 m³ of LH2, as it is in application for the storage and transport of LNG today. New design concepts are needed because the currently available technologies used in small and medium storages have a long production time of several years due to the process chain, which also comes with difficulties for quality assurance. Due to the construction, the current concepts have a low failure tolerance, and a spherical shape, which reduces the payload by up to 65 % compared to other shapes used in the LNG trade today.
NICOLHy will develop concepts for the construction and thermal insulation of cryogenic tanks applicable for large-scale storages of LH2, that have about 80% lower cost and can be produced about 10-times faster compared to recent LH2 storage concepts on the targeted scale. NICOLHy also addresses to increase the quality assurance, safety, as well as the application on different tank shapes. This will be achieved by a close cooperation of NICOLHy partners from the material as well as safety perspective, and circularity, sustainability and scalability assessment. Summarizing NICOLHy aims to enable the soon scale up of LH2 tanks and its implementation into the world-wide trade.
In the EU-funded NICOLHy project, researchers from Germany, Italy, Greece and Norway work on a novel thermal insulation concept based on Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIP) that could enable the safe, cost- and energy-efficient storage of large quantities of LH2. Such large-scale LH2 storage technology is necessary to build tanks with capacities of 40.000 m³ to more than 200.000 m³ of LH2, as it is in application for the storage and transport of LNG today. New design concepts are needed because the currently available technologies used in small and medium storages have a long production time of several years due to the process chain, which also comes with difficulties for quality assurance. Due to the construction, the current concepts have a low failure tolerance, and a spherical shape, which reduces the payload by up to 65 % compared to other shapes used in the LNG trade today.
NICOLHy will develop concepts for the construction and thermal insulation of cryogenic tanks applicable for large-scale storages of LH2, that have about 80% lower cost and can be produced about 10-times faster compared to recent LH2 storage concepts on the targeted scale. NICOLHy also addresses to increase the quality assurance, safety, as well as the application on different tank shapes. This will be achieved by a close cooperation of NICOLHy partners from the material as well as safety perspective, and circularity, sustainability and scalability assessment. Summarizing NICOLHy aims to enable the soon scale up of LH2 tanks and its implementation into the world-wide trade.
Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIPs) are the key element of the novel insulation concept developed by NICOLHy. . For the storage of cryogens such as LH2, the VIP concept is quite new and has several advantages compared to the thermal insulation techniques already in use. VIPs enable the pre- and parallel manufacturing of the thermal insulation in an industrial environment and with a high-level quality assurance. VIP-based concepts need further investigation of parameters and concerns, as it is to maintain a medium vacuum about the life-time of a tank of 25 to 50 years or to resist the thermal loads from the cold conditions.
Based on the comprehensive state of the art and the project objectives, we have defined the specifications for the NICOLHy project, which focuses and prioritizes our research activities and ends in a list of key performance indicators that enable to compare and benchmark different novel concepts.
By the state of the art, the specification, the list of key performance indicators as well as the VIP concept, a comprehensive design study was carried out within the first 18 months that comes with 24 inertial concepts, which were analysis on its advantages and disadvantages. The overview about the concepts enables to focus on the advantages and formulating advanced concepts that will be further investigated in the ongoing project lifetime.
Numerical models and databases are under development that make it possible to investigate different VIP systems concerning different material combinations, multiple VIP co nfigurations in space, geometry and size, as well as its circularity, sustainability and scalability. This will allow final benchmarking of the most relevant concepts regarding their scalability and safety.
To evaluate the models and concepts, as well as to investigate assembly procedures, their associated challenges, and safety concerns, a large test rig is in manufacturing, which allows for the testing of diverse concepts with VIPs mounted on a flat cryogenic surface covering an area of 9 m² (3x3 m²).
NICOLHy results were presented at scientific conferences and to a selected audience of stakeholders, which built NICOLHy's Stakeholder Advisory Board, that includes members from policymakers, industry representatives, standardization bodies, other projects as well as the scientific community and which evaluates the results and enhances the projects trajectory biannually.
Based on the comprehensive state of the art and the project objectives, we have defined the specifications for the NICOLHy project, which focuses and prioritizes our research activities and ends in a list of key performance indicators that enable to compare and benchmark different novel concepts.
By the state of the art, the specification, the list of key performance indicators as well as the VIP concept, a comprehensive design study was carried out within the first 18 months that comes with 24 inertial concepts, which were analysis on its advantages and disadvantages. The overview about the concepts enables to focus on the advantages and formulating advanced concepts that will be further investigated in the ongoing project lifetime.
Numerical models and databases are under development that make it possible to investigate different VIP systems concerning different material combinations, multiple VIP co nfigurations in space, geometry and size, as well as its circularity, sustainability and scalability. This will allow final benchmarking of the most relevant concepts regarding their scalability and safety.
To evaluate the models and concepts, as well as to investigate assembly procedures, their associated challenges, and safety concerns, a large test rig is in manufacturing, which allows for the testing of diverse concepts with VIPs mounted on a flat cryogenic surface covering an area of 9 m² (3x3 m²).
NICOLHy results were presented at scientific conferences and to a selected audience of stakeholders, which built NICOLHy's Stakeholder Advisory Board, that includes members from policymakers, industry representatives, standardization bodies, other projects as well as the scientific community and which evaluates the results and enhances the projects trajectory biannually.
NICOLHy addresses thermal insulation, which is a key element for the production and operation of large stationary and mobile LH2 storage tanks. As part of the project, insulation concepts are being developed that make it possible to significantly reduce production time and costs while at the same time increasing the quality and safety of the tanks in production and operation.
Exploitation in the energy industry requires the consideration and analysis of holistic concepts with the aim of evaluating and comparing them, identifying weak points and deriving suitable standards and measures on this basis. This, together with the development of demonstrators, cooperation with industry as a project partner and the development of commercialization concepts, will enable further projects.
Exploitation in the energy industry requires the consideration and analysis of holistic concepts with the aim of evaluating and comparing them, identifying weak points and deriving suitable standards and measures on this basis. This, together with the development of demonstrators, cooperation with industry as a project partner and the development of commercialization concepts, will enable further projects.