A single step from liquid hydrogen production to safety valve testing

The Hydrogen Electrical Analysis Workforce on the Korea Electrotechnology Analysis Institute (KERI) has developed the world’s first built-in system able to producing liquid hydrogen and evaluating the efficiency of security valves in a single step.

This vital achievement, introduced in celebration of “Hydrogen Day” (November 2), is predicted to draw appreciable consideration from the business because it promotes the hydrogen economy.

Liquid hydrogen is produced by cooling hydrogen gasoline to an especially low temperature (–253°C), leading to a quantity 800 occasions smaller than its gaseous kind.

It has benefits in improved safety throughout storage, which will increase public acceptance when it comes to transportation, liquid hydrogen permits for a a lot bigger and safer quantity of hydrogen to be transported in comparison with its gaseous kind, which might vastly speed up the nationwide distribution of hydrogen.

Past manufacturing, hydrogen entails many technological challenges. Making certain cryogenic circumstances and constantly managing the inner strain of hydrogen tanks is important for the long-term storage and transport of liquid hydrogen. The standard of related elements can be vital. Amongst these elements, security valves play a vital position in regulating strain.

When the inner strain of a tank exceeds a sure threshold, security valves mechanically launch hydrogen gasoline at excessive strain to control strain.

The problem for home producers has been that the manufacturing and distribution infrastructure for liquid hydrogen just isn’t but totally established.

In consequence, producers have confronted difficulties in verifying product quality solely by way of the efforts of security valve producers. With restricted entry to liquid hydrogen, producers have needed to depend on extra accessible however much less efficient options similar to liquid nitrogen or the dearer liquid helium to carry out incomplete efficiency checks.

The shortcoming to adequately confirm the efficiency of security valves with ample entry to liquid hydrogen, and the ensuing proliferation of inferior security valves within the market, might pose a danger of significant accidents.

To beat this problem, KERI has developed a breakthrough machine to carry out each liquid hydrogen manufacturing and security valve efficiency analysis in a single built-in system. This technique permits environment friendly and seamless testing by producing liquid hydrogen and instantly testing the elements’ efficiency.

KERI has already established itself as a frontrunner in liquid hydrogen expertise with the event of an computerized cryogenic cooling expertise, often known as “Zero Boil-off,” which permits the environment friendly manufacturing and long-term storage of liquid hydrogen. Constructing on this experience, KERI’s analysis staff has now efficiently developed a system that expands their technological capabilities to incorporate security valve efficiency testing.

The newly developed machine is designed to guage the efficiency of security valves for three-ton liquid hydrogen tank trailers. Its transportable design permits for simple set up and operation by firms. As well as, the machine has undergone rigorous security testing within the explosion-proof check chamber of KERI, an internationally accredited electrical tools testing and certification physique.

Rock-kil Ko, the Director of the Hydrogen Electrical Analysis Workforce at KERI, defined, “Even globally, there are concerns among experts about the lack of proper safety valve performance evaluation under real-world settings for liquid hydrogen testing. Our device allows for the safe and simple production of liquid hydrogen and the evaluation of safety valves in one system, even in small spaces. This will significantly enhance the competitiveness of the nation’s hydrogen industry.”

KERI plans to conduct additional experiments to improve the performance of the machine, permitting it to deal with bigger pressures and volumes of hydrogen. The institute may even work carefully with organizations such because the Korea Fuel Company to make sure the machine meets all mandatory necessities to be used in security valve efficiency evaluations by accredited testing our bodies.

Moreover, KERI is anticipating robust curiosity on this breakthrough from liquid hydrogen element producers and analysis machine makers, with the potential for expertise switch.