【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Engineering Equipment】From 1455 to 2021: Self-developed 70MPa Type IV hydrogen cylinders passed European fire testing
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Happy New Year 2024 **********************【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Engineering Equipment】A continuously updated summary post is available; feel free to join the discussions at https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html (Source: Haichuan Chemical Engineering Forum) ***************** Recently, the 70MPa Type IV cylinders developed independently by Weishi Energy passed the fire testing at a European third-party testing facility, with their performance standards meeting those of the EU. This provides important technical support for further improving the level of hydrogen storage equipment used in vehicles in China. In August 2021, in compliance with the international EU EC79 certification requirements, this hydrogen storage tank passed a series of key tests including hydrogen cycling tests and permeation tests. It has now reached the final testing stage prior to mass production, and manufacturing activities have begun; bulk exports to Europe are scheduled for the end of 2021. The \"cutting-edge technologies\" that have withstood fire tests are designed to ensure the safety, reliability, and basic performance of hydrogen cylinders. By taking into account domestic and international regulations and standards, a large number of tests must be conducted during the development process, including hydraulic burst tests, hydraulic cycling tests, extreme temperature and pressure cycling tests, accelerated stress rupture tests, drop tests, hydrogen cycling tests, penetration tests, fire tests, gunshot tests, performance under use conditions tests, and durability tests. Among them, the fire test is an important type test specified in the standards for fully wrapped plastic liners used in vehicle compressed hydrogen cylinders; it is also one of the necessary means to ensure that the hydrogen storage cylinders and safety devices can operate safely and reliably throughout the entire lifecycle of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, as well as under fire conditions. The 70MPa Type IV cylinder independently developed by Weishi Energy recently underwent a fire test. With gaseous hydrogen filled inside the cylinder, an external fire testing apparatus is used to effectively simulate the situation of a gas cylinder during a fire in the entire vehicle, thereby verifying the performance of the cylinder in terms of internal pressure, temperature rise, and the emergency release function of the valve at the cylinder mouth when it is exposed to fire. At the same time, to ensure the safety of fiber high-pressure hydrogen storage cylinders under fire conditions, Weishi Energy conducted thorough tests in accordance with international EU certification requirements, examining various factors such as the location of the fire and flame temperature.
The test results showed that under fire conditions, the internal pressure in the 70MPa Type IV hydrogen storage tank developed by Weishi Energy remained at 70MPa, with little change in this pressure value. The TPRD built into the valve at the tank’s opening, which was developed independently by Weishi Energy, became active when the temperature of the bulb reached 110°C; as a result, the pressure inside the tank dropped rapidly from 70MPa to below 1MPa, allowing the gas inside to be safely released. There were no signs of damage to the fibers on the surface of the tank or to its internal sealing structure, and all the safety-related functions of the tank were maintained throughout the fire resistance test.
The test results show that the 70MPa Type IV hydrogen storage tank developed independently by Weishi Energy meets all the expected design requirements in terms of key performance indicators. It also boasts technical advantages such as high safety, high reliability, and high energy efficiency, fulfilling fully the requirements for international EC79 certification. This 70MPa Type IV hydrogen storage tank was introduced by Weishi Energy at the 8th Great Wall Technology Festival on June 28 this year. Through its proprietary design for the seal between the inner tank and the valve seat, a lightweight metal valve seat structure, as well as innovative tank forming processes and modified tank materials, it effectively addresses key issues such as permeability, tank wrinkling, and buckling. The sealing structure is thus more secure and reliable, and the weight of the valve seat is 40% less compared to mainstream products available on the international market. Furthermore, thanks to an innovative fiber layer lamination design concept and a cutting-edge dry winding process, this hydrogen storage tank significantly improves the fiber strength utilization rate, burst strength, and consistency in pressure cycle life. It reduces the amount of composite material required by 15% compared to wet winding, shortens the curing time by 30%, and has a service life of ≥15,000 filling cycles, offering a new option for lightweight on-board hydrogen supply systems in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
Promoting the use of 70MPa Type IV hydrogen storage cylinders in China: Weishi Energy’s achievements in this area are truly impressive. The industry believes that Weishi Energy fills a key gap in the international hydrogen energy sector regarding domestically produced Type IV hydrogen storage cylinders, and it will also help promote the commercial use of such high-pressure Type IV hydrogen storage cylinders with a pressure of 70 MPa in China as well as reduce their costs. As is well known, in the field of high-pressure hydrogen storage technology, countries such as Japan, South Korea, the United States, and Europe have been among the first to apply 70MPa Type IV hydrogen storage tanks on a large scale in the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle market. In contrast, in the domestic market, the hydrogen storage industry still primarily relies on fully-wound cylinders with Type III aluminum alloy liners. The development of 70MPa Type IV cylinders for use in vehicles has been relatively slow due to technical barriers, regulatory restrictions, dependence on imported carbon fiber as a key material, low demand, and inadequate supporting technologies. Now, as Weishi Energy is about to mass-produce 70MPa Type IV cylinders and begin exporting them, the existing situation may gradually change. GGII predicts that over the next three years, as the domestic hydrogen fuel cell vehicle market develops, 70MPa Type IV cylinders are likely to partially replace the existing 35MPa Type III cylinders.
【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Engineering Equipment】The Technology Innovation Center for Hydrogen Storage, Transportation, and Refueling Equipment of the 1456-2021 generation has been approved. https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-5510822-1-1.html (Source: Haichuan Chemical Industry Forum – Haichuan Network – Chemical Industry Trends)
【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Equipment】CIMC ARRIKO’s 30 MPa marine hydrogen storage tanks were successfully delivered for the first batch of exports to Europe, from 2014 to 2021! https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-5510825-1-1.html (Source: Haichuan Chemical Industry Forum – Haichuan Network – Chemical World)