HD KSOE Vacuum insulation technology for liquefied hydrogen storage tanks has been approved by the classification society

HD KSOE Vacuum insulation technology for liquefied hydrogen storage tanks has been approved by the classification society

HD Hyundai's shipbuilding subsidiary, HD Korea Shipbuilding&Offshore Engineering Co. (HD KSOE), announced on Tuesday that its liquefied hydrogen storage tank vacuum insulation technology has received principle approval, thereby strengthening the clean energy commercialization of hydrogen. Four major international classification societies, including Lloyd's Register, American Bureau of Shipping, Det Norske Veritas, and Korean Register, have approved this technology.

Although hydrogen is widely regarded as a clean energy source, its commercialization faces obstacles due to the lack of standardized regulations and technological challenges, including a nine fold higher evaporation rate than liquefied natural gas. The company explained that developing vacuum insulated tanks that maintain ultra-low temperatures during operation requires high precision and a significant amount of time.

To address these challenges, HD KSOE collaborated with DNV on a joint development project to establish detailed standards for liquefied hydrogen storage tanks, including welding procedures and evaluation criteria, and obtained certification from Det Norske Veritas.

The company stated that it has also developed its own vacuum insulation system, which enables storage tanks to maintain a vacuum state at temperatures as low as minus 253 degrees Celsius during ship operation. This innovation ensures the safe transportation of large amounts of hydrogen without causing significant losses, and shortens the vacuum generation process from a few months to a few days.