Norwegian classification society DNV has issued an Approval in Principle (AiP) to Korean shipbuilder HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) for its innovative large-scale vacuum-insulated liquid hydrogen storage tank.
The development of cost-effective and flexible large-scale liquid hydrogen storage tanks with higher safety and lower operating and capital costs is critical if liquefied hydrogen (LH2) is to deliver on its promise for the decarbonisation of industries such as transport, shipping and power generation.
By bridging the gap between hydrogen production and the end user, large-scale storage can promote global energy resilience and accelerate the adoption of hydrogen as an important part of the energy transition.
One of the challenges in developing large-scale LH2 storage is achieving and maintaining vacuum insulation in large tanks. HD KSOE has now developed a new method that significantly reduces the time required to create a vacuum, which is essential for the viability of larger tanks. According to DNV, the solution has already been successfully tested in a large chamber, making the Korean company the first shipbuilder in the world to demonstrate the feasibility of this approach.
“This is an important achievement that reinforces confidence that ships can be efficiently designed and built with liquid hydrogen in a shipyard environment,” said Jason Crusan, vice president of energy solutions at Woodside Energy.
Milestone for scaling up tanks
“This verification test was an important milestone in the study of liquid hydrogen transportation, where one of the main issues was the need to increase the size of the tank, and is an important step towards commercialization,” highlighted Jotaro Tamura, Senior Management Executive Officer at MOL.
“By achieving this remarkable milestone as the world’s first successful verification of tank scale-up, HD KSOE has demonstrated the commitment and innovation of research,” said Chi O. Kwon, Vice President of Hyundai Glovis. “We hope this achievement will serve as a solid foundation for future progress in this area.”
Byeongyong Yoo, Vice President of HD KSOE, commented, “HD KSOE is committed to providing technological solutions for large-scale energy shipping such as LNG, LPG, ammonia, CO2 and now hydrogen. This hydrogen vacuum system solution and the large-scale validation test are part of that effort. “We will continue to work with leading global companies to drive the energy transition and achieve net-zero targets,” Yoo continued.
“With the award of this AiP, we are taking another big step towards realizing a global hydrogen economy,” said Vidar Dolonen, DNV Regional Manager for Korea and Japan. “This ongoing collaboration with innovative partners like HD KSOE shows how, through joint efforts, we can make progress on some of the biggest technical challenges of the new carbon-free economy and set the stage for safer and more efficient hydrogen transportation as the world transitions to cleaner energy sources.”
KSOE and Woodside Energy develop 80,000 m³ tanker
The tests were observed by representatives from Woodside Energy, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), Hyundai Glovis and DNV. KSOE is also working with Woodside Energy to develop 80,000m3 liquid hydrogen carriers equipped with large hydrogen tanks. This is part of a broader collaboration aimed at developing an integrated value chain for large-scale marine transportation of liquid hydrogen.
