Development of structures and materials suitable to protect hydrogen tanks

• Autor(a) principal: Sousa, Guilherme José de Antunes e
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10773/41093
• topic: Hydrogen storage; Cork agglomerates; Energy absorption; Thermal insulation; Mechanical characterization; Finite element analysis (FEA); Numerical modelling

Dubbed the energy of the future, hydrogen shows excellent promise as a substitute for conventional fossil fuels. Nonetheless, the hydrogen chain safety protocols, and particularly its storage, are less well-established than those regarding fossil fuels, which limits hydrogen’s adoption and use. The primary goal of this project is to determine whether coating hydrogen storage tanks with composite materials based on cork agglomerates can improve their safety, especially in the event of fires, explosions, or impacts. It also aims to explore the relationship between these composites’ density and mechanical and thermal behaviour. The samples underwent thermal testing to assess the thermal conductivity, diffusivity and fire behaviour in addition to mechanical testing, particularly quasi-static compression and dynamic impact tests. Additionally, using Finite Element Analysis (FEA), a numerical model was created to verify the mechanical results. It was found that these materials are suitable for coating hydrogen storage tanks because they offer excellent thermal insulation, stimulate longer fire exposure times, and act as energy absorbers in the event of explosions or collisions. It has been discovered that lower densities encourage energy absorption during dynamic events. The validated numerical model supported these findings. Higher densities have been found to improve fire resistance since they produce smaller burned areas and less lost mass. It was also shown that diffusivity and specific heat have a more significant impact on thermal insulation against fire than thermal conductivity. A simple and suggestive prototype demonstrating how these materials can cover tanks was also produced as a result of this research. The creation of coatings using these materials is new in the field and aids in a safe acceleration of the energy transition without sacrificing any consideration for the Green Deal or the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).