CB&I, Shell, GenH2 and the University of Houston, have announced the completion of a first-of-its-kind, affordable, large-scale liquid hydrogen (LH2) storage tank concept at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, US, that will enable international import and export applications.
Mark Butts, President & CEO of CB&I, says: ‘Our collaboration with this world-class project team will help provide a path to low-cost, large-scale liquid hydrogen storage. We are proud to leverage our six decades of experience with cryogenic insulation and storage to advance innovative solutions for the energy transition market.’
The project, which began in 2021 and is supported by the US Department of Energy (DOE), developed a novel non-vacuum tank design concept for large-scale (up to 100,000 m3) storage of LH2 that is anticipated to provide a substantial cost advantage over conventional vacuum insulated tanks. This concept is being demonstrated through the construction, start-up and testing of a small-scale LH2 demonstration tank at NASA MSFC.
Theo Bodewes, general manager of hydrogen technology adds: ‘At Shell, we believe in the power of collaboration to advance technology and scale up innovative solutions. With the invaluable support from the DOE, this project demonstrates how experts from industry, academia, and government can solve complex technology challenges. This novel liquid hydrogen technology promises to be more competitive, reducing costs and accelerating large-scale storage commercialisation.’
The demonstration tank will significantly increase the MSFC hydrogen test facility’s LH2 storage capacity and be used to characterise the behaviour of materials under cryogenic conditions, mimicking normal fill and empty cycles and testing non-vacuum insulation materials. In addition to an estimated six-month test period included in the project scope, a Space Act Agreement among the partner organisations provides for MSFC’s use of the tank over a five-year period, during which CB&I and Shell will continue to test new insulation technologies under non-vacuum conditions.
James Fesmire, GenH2 chief architect adds: ‘We take pride in participating in this industry collaboration to advance commercial liquid hydrogen storage applications. This initiative has allowed us to develop testing capabilities for thermal insulation systems and produce essential data for unlocking the global potential of liquid hydrogen.’
