HD Hyundai independently developed vacuum insulation technology for marine liquefied hydrogen tanks.
HD Hyundai's institutional sector, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, recently noted that it received Basic Approval (AIP) for vacuum insulation technology of liquefied hydrogen tanks from four classification societies under the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) on the 14th. The four classification societies are Lloyd's Register (LR), American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), DnV, and Korean Register (KR).
HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering also received approval for the Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) for the construction of marine liquefied hydrogen tanks from DnV last month. This makes it the first in the country to secure material selection, verification, and welding technology for marine liquefied hydrogen tanks.
Standardized welding procedures and evaluation criteria using special materials are necessary for the construction of liquefied hydrogen tanks. However, there are currently no relevant regulations. To suppress the liquefied hydrogen evaporation rate, which is more than nine times higher than that of liquefied natural gas (LNG), the insulation space inside the tank must be maintained in a vacuum state. However, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering explained that it has been challenging to scale up the tanks because reaching a vacuum state currently takes a long time. In August of last year, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering began working on detailed standards for marine liquefied hydrogen tank construction through a joint development project with DnV and developed standardized welding procedures and evaluation items to receive classification society approval.
With the independent development of vacuum insulation technology by HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, it has become possible to maintain the insulation space of liquefied hydrogen tanks in a vacuum state at –253℃, even during ship operation. This enables the lossless transportation of liquefied hydrogen.