H₂ High Pressure On-board Storage Considering Safety Issues

The present paper reviews the state-of-the-art of integrated structural integrity monitoring systems applicable to hydrogen on-board applications. Storage safety and costs are key issues for the success of the hydrogen technology considered for replacing the conventional fuel systems in transport applications. An in-service health monitoring procedure for high pressure vessels would contribute to minimize the risks associated to high pressure hydrogen storage and to improve the public acceptance. Such monitoring system would also enable a reduction on design burst criteria, enabling savings in material costs and weight. This paper reviews safety and maintenance requirements based on present standards for high pressure vessels. A state-of-the-art of storage media and materials for onboard storage tank is presented as well as of current European programmes on hydrogen storage technologies for transport applications including design, safety and system reliability. A technological road map is proposed for the development and validation of a prototype, within the framework of the Portuguese EDEN project. To ensure safety, an exhaustive test procedure is proposed. Furthermore, requirements of a safety on-board monitoring system is defined for filament wound hydrogen tanks.