sbreheny - 22-3-2014 at 14:54
Hi all,
When most compressed gasses are stored in bulk, one large tank is employed. However, whenever I've seen compressed (not liquid) hydrogen or helium
stored in bulk, it has been kept in a cluster of long, thin tanks, like this:
Can anyone tell me why it is done this way and not in a single large tank?
Thanks,
Sean
HgDinis25 - 22-3-2014 at 15:22
For me it's the reverse I always see Helium and Hydrogen being stored in huge pressure tanks. Actually, a factoy near my city stores hydrogen in a
HUGE tank that changes size depending on how much hydrogen is stored.
Chemosynthesis - 23-3-2014 at 00:10
Purely speculating here, but might it be a logistics issue? Rather than transport one large tank if multiple disbursements are required, it may be
economical to fill the individual tanks and transport them together. This would save one from filling the large tank, then the smaller ones anyway,
and allow for flexibility in distribution along a supply route.
Mailinmypocket - 23-3-2014 at 11:20
Could it be that if the trailer is in an accident there is a possibility of 5-6 tanks rupturing instead of one massive one? Who knows!
sbreheny - 23-3-2014 at 17:09
I don't think it's purely a safety thing because I've seen single large tanks of LNG and propane being transported. I've been thinking it over and I
think now that most large single tanks I've seen were in fact liquefied gasses (LN2, LOX, liquid CO2, etc.) I think maybe the difference with H2 and
He are that it is impractical (maybe?) to transport them in the liquid state so in order to get sufficient storage density, very high pressures must
be used. Is it perhaps easier to make a super high pressure vessel which is long and thin than shorter and wider?