The Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering (hereafter KRISO, President Booki, Kim) has made a significant first step in developing hydrogen-powered, environmentally-friendly ships.
At the AiP* granting event for the ‘400kg 316L/316HN Liquid Hydrogen Fuel Tanks for Ships’ conducted at the POSCO Center Event Hall on the 12th, KRISO received two AiPs from the Korean Register (Chairman Hyung-Chul Lee).
AIP (Approval Under Principle): A procedure for approving the principles of the liquid hydrogen fuel tank and related technologies in development by ensuring the concept and basic design are safe and perform well.
Representatives from KRISO and its technology development partners, POSCO Group, Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co., Ltd. (KSOE), and Hylium Industries, Inc., attended the AiP awards event.
The two AiPs were given for two distinct types of 400kg liquid hydrogen fuel tanks for ships, each made of 316L and 316HN stainless steel.
316L is a kind of stainless steel that is now in use in industry and may be used to make liquid hydrogen storage tanks that can resist temperatures as low as –253. POSCO has developed 316HN, a form of stainless steel designed to reduce the problem of hydrogen embrittlement* in ultra-low temperatures.
Hydrogen embrittlement is a phenomenon in which a metal becomes breakable like glass due to hydrogen diffusion.
The liquid hydrogen fuel tanks also include innovative design characteristics that use cutting-edge technologies.
First, when the amount of liquid hydrogen varies or the ship suffers turbulent motions, a specific breakwater panel avoids fuel damage due by liquid hydrogen phase transition. With a new heat scattering support structure and vapor cooling barrier, the liquid hydrogen fuel tanks offer better thermal insulation.
These AiPs represent the most authoritative organization in Korea recognizing the technologies, as well as securing technological leadership in the field of hydrogen-powered eco-friendly ships through collaboration between expert organizations in various fields, speeding the development of carbon-free ships.
KRISO and its partners developed the first prototype of the 400kg 316L liquid hydrogen fuel tank for ships that passed beyond the design stage.
“We plan to further develop the technology toward commercialization, with hydrogen-powered eco-friendly ships using the liquid hydrogen fuel tank being tested in the new eco-friendly ship R&D facilities being constructed in Mokpo, Jeollanam-do Province,” said KRISO Senior Researcher Hyun-Seok Kim, who leads the liquid hydrogen fuel tank project.
“Liquid hydrogen storage technology is a highly hard sector that requires the consideration of many elements,” said KRISO President Booki Kim, adding, “this achievement was made possible because to collaboration between four businesses working toward a common objective.” We’re looking forward to the day when it’s marketed in hydrogen-powered, environmentally-friendly ships.”
