The Importance of Hydrogen Pressure Vessel Manufacturing

Pressure vessels are the most common way to store, transport and use hydrogen gas as fuel.

This is particularly prevalent in the automotive industry, where hydrogen fuel cells are used to fuel hydrogen-powered cars and heavy-duty vehicles.

Hydrogen pressure vessels, mainly types 3, 4 and 5, are made of composites to provide a high strength-to-weight ratio.

This gives them a high impact and chemical resistance and a high strength to withstand the high operating pressures and regular filling/emptying cycles.

As a result, it’s crucial that the composites making up the pressure vessels are manufactured to a high standard, ensuring they meet the strict technical requirements for this application.

Negligence of proper pressure vessel manufacturing can lead to an increased chance of accidents, health & safety hazards, inefficiencies and requirements for maintenance and repairs; adding costs and lowering user satisfaction.

Pressure Vessel Manufacturing Specifications

Hydrogen energy manufacturers must determine sensitive design components before producing pressure vessels.

As pressure vessels (types 3-5) are typically made of composites such as carbon fibre, thermoplastics, fibreglass or aramid, they must be properly formulated to achieve the right durability, strength and capacity.

Characteristics that must be specified range from pressure level, temperature, material components, size and shape. Working these specifications into the manufacturing process ensures the correct quality of pressure vessels are manufactured.

Without the right composite resin systems to manufacture the vessels, this process can be expensive and time-consuming. This is why it’s important to invest in the right manufacturing solutions to reduce costs and improve the efficiency of your pressure vessel manufacturing process.

Top Composite Resin Systems for Hydrogen Pressure Vessel Manufacturing

Huntsman Araldite composite resin systems provide various benefits for hydrogen pressure vessel manufacturing, including:

• High pressure-cycling performance
• High burst resistance
• Improved fatigue & impact performance
• Reduced crack propagation
• Resistance to extreme temperatures and humidity – avoiding premature failure
• Environmental exposure resistance

Here we explore our recommended composite resin systems for hydrogen pressure vessel manufacturing:

ARALDITE® LY 1135-1 A / ARADUR® 917-1 / ACCELERATOR 960-1 is a latent anhydride curing system that provides a very long latency combined with low reaction exotherm. It is suitable for manufacturing pressure vessel composites using the wet filament winding method. It has a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 132 – 138°C and a pot life of 56 – 62 h at 23°C. It also provides a mix viscosity of 600-1000 mPas at 25°C.

This is our recommended solution for this application, overall providing excellent mechanical, dynamic and thermal properties, long working time, easy processing and good fibre impregnation properties.

ARALDITE® LY 1564 / ARADUR® 917-1 / ACCELERATOR 960-1 is a latent anhydride curing system that provides a very long latency combined with a low reaction exotherm. It is suitable for manufacturing pressure vessel composites using the wet filament winding method. It has a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 122 – 130°C and a pot life of 80 – 90 h at 23°C.

ARALDITE^® LY 3708 / ARADUR^® 1571 / ACCELERATOR 1575

ARALDITE® LY 3708 / ARADUR® 1571 / ACCELERATOR 1575 is a highly toughened system designed to withstand the extreme pressure-cycling requirements of hydrogen vessels manufactured via towpreg winding (prepreg with high filament count). It provides an optimised manufacturing viscosity profile and fast curing for high production output. It has a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 120 – 130°C and a fracture toughness of 1.5 – 1.6 MPa.m½.