KRISO's liquid hydrogen fuel tank for ships, honorably selected as New Excellent Technology

  ▶ Designed to be equipped in ships to help achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to the realization of carbon neutral marine 

  ▶ The developed liquid hydrogen fuel tank for ships will be unveiled at the H2 MEET in August

□ One of the key technologies that the Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering (KRISO, led by President Booki Kim) has developed for the realization of marine carbon neutrality has been recognized for its superiority by the government. 

□ On July 20, KRISO announced that the design and manufacturing technology of 400kg 316L/316HN liquid hydrogen fuel tanks for ships, jointly developed with Hylium Industries, INC., Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co., and POSCO, which was selected as the New Excellent Technology (NET) for the first half of 2022.

□ The new excellent marine and fishery technology certification program is a scheme where the government comprehensively evaluates and certifies technologies that have been developed for the first time in the marine and fishery sector, or those that have been developed by innovatively modifying and improving existing technologies, especially in terms of novelty and technical aspects, in accordance with the Marine Science and Technology Promotion Act.

□ The design and manufacturing technology of the 400kg 316L/316HN liquid hydrogen fuel tanks for ships which was recently certified as the NET, enables hydrogen, an eco-friendly energy source, to be stored in an extremely low-temperature environment (-253℃), providing a larger amount of ship fuel compared to existing methods using gaseous hydrogen. As a result, this technology is expected to take an advantageous position in the future hydrogen ship industry, while contributing to the realization of marine carbon neutrality.

□ The technology acquired an approval in principle (AIP*) from the Korean Register of Shipping in 2022 for the first time in Korea, in recognition of its design conformity and stability. Furthermore, a prototype of the technology has been developed, and this means that the technology has been publicly certified for not only technological and economic aspects and field applicability, but also manufacturing aspects. The recent technology development is of great significance in that this effort has made the country "self-sufficient" in the liquid hydrogen storage market, which has been dominated by foreign companies.

* AIP (Approval In Principle): Refers to the procedure in which the stability and technical conformity of the concept and basic design of a newly developed technology are verified. In this case, the process officially certified the corresponding liquid hydrogen fuel tank and relevant technology

□ Notably, patented domestic original technologies, including △ a structure with heat dissipation performance that connects and supports the inside and outside of a tank, △ vapor-cooled radiation shields, and △ splashboards with special shapes, were employed in the development of these liquid hydrogen fuel tanks for ships for the first time in the world. The resulting tanks provide heat insulation equivalent or superior to those fixed on the ground with a similar capacity, even when they are being shaken by waves in an offshore environment.

□ Hyun-seok Kim, a senior researcher who led the development of the liquid hydrogen fuel tanks for ships, said, “The developed technology acquired an AIP for the first time in Korea and was recently selected as the NET. This shows the technology is of great significance, in that it has been officially certified by the government for its technical feasibility, economic value, and field applicability as an innovative, original design technology based on new concepts.”

□ Booki Kim, the President of KRISO, said, “We are planning to apply this technology to the prototype of a 2.2-MW eco-friendly alternative-fuel ship for offshore demonstration testing currently under development by our institute to make sure that this technology can be integrated with the hydrogen fuel cells and hydrogen fuel supply system, contributing to the realization of marine carbon neutral.”

□ KRISO's liquid hydrogen fuel tank for ships, which was recently selected as the NET, will be unveiled and made available to the public at KRISO's booth at the 2022 H2 MEET held from August 31 to September 3.