Demand for carbon fiber for hydrogen storage tanks

How to reduce carbon fiber usage in a hydrogen storage system?

Therefore, reducing the amount of carbon fiber usage is one of the major Department of Energy (DOE) initiatives in physical hydrogen storage system development. This can be accomplished by a combination of optimal geometric tank design and improvement in filament winding technique, as well as a lower cost carbon fiber.

How much carbon fiber does a hydrogen tank need?

We projected the demand for carbon fiber in Type IV hydrogen tanks at 145,330 metric tons by 2030, based on a 2019 cost breakdown by the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE), which estimated 62-72 kilograms of carbon fiber per 700 bar/5.6-kilogram H 2 tank at 60% fiber content.

Will carbon fiber tank demand grow in 2023?

One of the leading carbon fiber manufacturers, Toray (Tokyo, Japan), in a June 2020 presentation, specifically cited growth in FCV and compressed hydrogen gas (CHG) tanks, saying it would plan for “a timely large-scale capex for CHG tanks,” expecting growth in demand after 2023.

What is a Type 4 hydrogen storage tank?

The analyses are for Type 4 hydrogen storage tanks wrapped with carbon fiber and capable of storing 1.4–5.6 kg usable hydrogen. Using a safety factor of 2.25, the tanks are designed for a minimum burst pressure of 158 MPa. The carbon fiber is assumed to be Toray T700S, which has a manufacturer-listed tensile strength of 4900 MPa.

Does carbon fiber epoxy composite provide structural strength for a compressed gas tank?

The focus of the analysis was on only the carbon fiber–epoxy composite used in overwrap windings to provide the structural strength for the compressed gas tank–HDPE liner, outer protection, if any, boss, or other balance-of-plant in the total hydrogen storage system were not included in the analyses discussed in this paper.

Can carbon fiber composites make a conformable CGH tank?

Both aim to produce scaled demonstrators of the manufacturing process to produce a conformable CGH tank using carbon fiber composites. P4H has already produced a proof-of-concept cuboidal tank using a thermoplastic skeleton with composite tension straps/struts that is overwound with carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy.