A Review of Material Considerations for Hydrogen Pressure Vessels

As government organizations, public interest groups, and consumers become more concerned about emissions and their effect on the climate, the aerospace and aeronautical industries have been pushed to minimize their emissions. As a result, there is a high demand for hydrogen fuel solutions; a fuel that has more energy per unit mass than jet fuel and whose exhaust gasses are steam. This presentation will act as a review of the research of materials within hydrogen fuel tanks. It will also address the challenges and conclusions of these research papers through the lens of aero applications. Utilizing hydrogen fuel has a unique set of challenges, the largest of which stems from the materials used in the fuel tank. The predominant challenge, maintaining hydrogen in its energy dense liquid state, is not only difficult because the materials used must prevent leakage but also because proposed solutions are often costly, difficult to scale, or heavy. These leaks during the storage and transportation of liquid hydrogen have a significant impact on multiple aero projects, such as the multiday delay of the Artemis launch. Additionally, hydrogen fuel tank ruptures can be more of a concern in pressurized vessels as the hydrogen cannot easily dissipate and can ignite easily. Further, certain metals become more brittle when in contact with hydrogen, effecting other properties such as Ultimate Tensile Strength and lifecycle of a structure. Through the review, the current landscape of liquid hydrogen storage in aero applications, its challenges, and its future will be elucidated.