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Design and structural safety verification of the tank trailer for liquid hydrogen transport

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Abstract

In order to store hydrogen in a liquid state at −253 °C, a double-structured tank trailer with inner and outer vessels is essential for maintaining insulation through a vacuum. While the smaller support of the inner vessel reduces heat loss, it raises concerns regarding its susceptibility to external factors like driving conditions. This study focuses on ensuring the safety of the tank trailer through design and analysis. Inner vessel thickness was determined using the membrane stress theory, verified per KGS guidelines. Structural safety of the 2.5-ton trailer was assessed following ASME Sec. VIII Div. 2 guidelines, simulating full hydrogen charge and adhering to CGA-H3. ASME BPVC XII specifications were applied, and a redesign mitigated stress concentration issues considering driving conditions. Following these steps, successful design and safety verification of the 2.5-ton trailer were achieved.

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Abbreviations

a :

Length of long radius in ellipse

b :

Length of short radius in ellipse

D :

Major axis diameter of the elliptical head

D i :

Inner diameter of the cylinder

E :

Welding efficiency

h :

Thickness of the vessel

K :

Shape factor of the semi-elliptical head

P :

Design pressure

P m :

Primary general membrane stress

P L :

Primary local membrane stress

P b :

Bending stress

p :

Inner pressure

r 1 :

Meridional radius of curvature

r 2 :

Hoop radius of curvature

S :

Allowable stress of the material at the design temperature

S PL :

Allowable limit on the local primary membrane and local primary membrane plus bending stress categories

t ic :

Minimum thickness of the cylinder

t ih :

Minimum thickness of the head

σ 1 :

Meridional stress

σ 2 :

Hoop stress

σ 3 :

Longitudinal stress

σ vms :

Von-Mises equivalent stress

q :

Distributed load of the inner cylinder

M :

Bending moment of the inner cylinder

Z :

Section modulus of the inner cylinder

D 1 :

Inner diameter of the inner cylinder

D 2 :

Outer diameter of the inner cylinder

L :

Length of the inner cylinder

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the KETEP (No. 202230300 40120) and funded By the Ministry of Trade, industry & Energy (MI, Korea).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, 46241, Korea

    Hareem Lee, Rivaldo Mersis Brilianto, Seung Seok Lee & Chul Kim

Authors
  1. Hareem Lee
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  2. Rivaldo Mersis Brilianto
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  3. Seung Seok Lee
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  4. Chul Kim
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chul Kim.

Additional information

Hareem Lee is in a Master’s course in the School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan National University, Pusan, South Korea. His research interests include containing and transporting liquid hydrogen.

Rivaldo Mersis Brilianto received an M.S. degree from the Department of Mechanical Convergence Technology from Pusan National University, South Korea, in 2019. Currently, he is pursuing a doctorate in the School of Mechanical Engineering at Pusan National University. His research interests include FEM simulation.

Seung Seok Lee is in undergraduate course in the School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan National University, Pusan, South Korea. His research interests include transporting liquid hydrogen and nuclear.

Chul Kim is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Pusan National University, Korea. He received Ph.D. degrees of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan National University, Pusan, South Korea, in 1997. His research interests include FEA simulation (structure, dynamic and fluid analysis), optimal structural design, CAD/CAM.

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Lee, H., Brilianto, R.M., Lee, S.S. et al. Design and structural safety verification of the tank trailer for liquid hydrogen transport. J Mech Sci Technol 38, 671–681 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-024-0115-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-024-0115-z

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