KR Publishes Report on Material Compatibility for Liquid Hydrogen Storage

Korean Register (KR) has published a report titled: Research Report of Material Compatibility for Liquid Hydrogen Storage on Marine Application.

The report provides detailed technical information on materials suitable for onboard liquid hydrogen systems. For safe and efficient storage and transport of hydrogen, it must be handled in its liquid state, says KR. This necessitates a cryogenic environment. However, until now, there has been a notable lack of research infrastructure and industry understanding of the materials used in marine liquid hydrogen storage systems.

To proactively respond to the future carbon-free fuel era, KR has been conducting the Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries' Hydrogen Ship Safety Standard Development Project since 2020. In collaboration with Dr. Kim Yongjin's team at the Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials and Professor Kim Jeong-Hyeon's team at Pusan National University, KR has jointly established cryogenic evaluation facilities, the only facility of its kind available in Korea. It is designed to test and analyze materials for alternative fuels that require cryogenic facilities, such as hydrogen. In this study, it was used to simulate the hydrogen environment by conducting mechanical evaluation test at -253℃, the storage temperature of liquid hydrogen.

The research report reflects the results of these tests and establishes evaluation methods for applied materials such as hydrogen pipes and tanks, as well as standards for applied materials.

KIM Daeheon, Executive Vice President of KR R&D Division, said: "We believe that the results of this study will provide valuable guidance to industry, academia and research institutes researching and developing green ships and alternative fuels."