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December 30 2023

Omni Tanker Develops ‘World-Leading’ Liquid Hydrogen Storage in Space

k999content News aerospace, hydrogen, manufacturing, materials, tanks 0

Australian composites manufacturer Omni Tanker, in collaboration with international aerospace giant Lockheed Martin and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) has developed a world-leading solution for the transport of cryogenic and liquid cargoes of hydrogen and helium, including into space. With support from the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC), the collaborative partnership builds on Omni Tanker’s expansive composite capabilities developed for use across its industrial transport portfolio. The company currently leads global manufacturing in lightweight, composite road tankers for caustic materials that are used and sold locally and exported to Europe, and North America from its Sydney base. Pairing Omni Tanker’s capabilities with Lockheed Martin’s extensive aerospace experience led to the development and manufacture of two new storage tanks including:

-Type 4, fluoropolymer-lined, carbon fibre composite tank, and a

-Type 5, liner-less, carbon fibre composite tank.

The tanks can store and transport liquid hydrogen, as well as oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, and hydrazine at high pressures under extreme cryogenic temperatures as low as minus 269 degrees Celsius. As a result of the successful project, operational-scale demonstrator versions of the tanks for Lockheed Martin’s LM2100 satellite have now been manufactured at Omni Tanker’s advanced manufacturing facility located in Sydney’s west.

Omni Tanker CEO and Founder Dr Daniel Rodgers said the $1.59 million project has taken the company’s world-leading capabilities to new heights. “By leveraging Omni Tanker’s capabilities, we have been able to translate our composite road tanker technology to the global space sector – where performance, weight, and cost are of paramount importance,” said Rodgers. “Omni Tanker can develop and deliver composite pressure vessels to meet demanding technical requirements quicker and at a lower cost than exotic materials, such as titanium, which are widely used in the space sector.” Christopher Hess, Lockheed Martin Australia’s Head of Industrial Development said, “The global strategic environment is constantly evolving, and Lockheed Martin is committed to working with industry, through exemplary partners such as Omni Tanker, UNSW, and AMGC, to deliver a world-leading space capability.” Dr Jens Goennemann, Managing Director of AMGC, said the project demonstrates the importance for manufacturers to look beyond their current businesses. “With the assistance of AMGC, Omni Tanker has done what more manufacturers should do: seek ways to leverage their capabilities across adjacent opportunities, in this case moving from road tankers to spacecraft,” said Goennemann. “It’s generally not rocket science – except in this case it is.”

Together, the project participants identified a new application for Omni Tanker’s patented OmniBIND solution which links an interior thermoplastic tank to a lightweight composite exterior tank. The use of a nanoengineered additive product, developed by a UNSW, prevented matrix cracks usually present at extremely low temperatures in pressure vessels storing liquefied hydrogen. “The collaborative efforts with Omni Tanker and Lockheed Martin Space have been pivotal in transforming this cutting-edge technology into practical structural steel fabrication applications,” said Professor Chun Wang, UNSW’s Scientia Professor. “As a result of extensive nano-engineering efforts, we now have composite structures that can withstand the extreme cold of liquid hydrogen without experiencing microcracking or hydrogen gas leak,” said Professor Wang. Dr Luke Djukic, CTO at Omni Tanker, said the project represented a significant step forward for the company and a strategic leap in sovereign capability. “These new material technologies are well-matched to the high-end pre-impregnated composite materials typically used in aerospace metal fabrication yet offer a more economical production method from materials that are readily available,” said Djukic. “In developing these new products and processes onshore, we have established significant sovereign capability at Omni Tanker. We look forward to leveraging this capability as we move our tanks into operational use across the transport and aerospace sectors here and abroad,” said Djukic.

July 8 2023

Public-Private Partnership backs Hydrogen Engineering

k999content News decarbonising, energy, hydrogen, industry, renewable 0

In what the Queensland government believes is Australia’s biggest investment in green hydrogen so far – almost $117 million — has been made by the Queensland and federal governments and a consortium to fund the front-end engineering design for the Central Queensland Hydrogen (CQ-H2) project at Gladstone. When completed, the engineering design will bring the project closer to a final decision, expected late next year. Green hydrogen can decarbonize oil and gas, manufacturing, heavy haulage, shipping, aviation, heat induction bending services, and other industries. The project will be powered by renewable energy and is expected to produce 200 tons of hydrogen a day by 2028, rising to 800 tons a day by 2031. That is equivalent to fueling more than double Australia’s fleet of heavy vehicles. The hydrogen needs to be liquified or converted to ammonia for export and potentially local industry offtake.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) will provide $20 million in funding, $15 million will be from the Palaszczuk Government and the remainder $81.8 million from consortium partners which are passionate about green hydrogen. These consortium partners are: Iwatani Corporation (Japan), Kansai Electric Power Company (Japan), Marubeni Corporation (Japan), Keppel Infrastructure (Singapore) and Queensland’s publicly owned Stanwell Corporation. Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, said projects such as this are critical to scaling up Australia’s green hydrogen industry. “The government is committed to making Australia a global hydrogen leader. Projects like the CQ-H2 Project could lead the way in exporting renewable hydrogen to the international market.

“Japan, Korea and China are three of our largest trading partners and have all made clear commitments to increase the use of hydrogen, with a focus on establishing international supply chains for imports,” said Minister Bowen. Queensland Premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk said the international partnership highlights Queensland’s position as a global hydrogen heavyweight. “Because of the investments we’re making, the Queensland economy will reap the benefits of the global clean energy transition, while ensuring Queensland has more and cheaper, cleaner renewable energy to power our businesses and homes,” she said. Developing a green hydrogen export industry in Gladstone will create significant economic opportunities for Queensland: project is expected to create almost 9,000 jobs, including in the steel fabrication industry, and over $17.2 billion in hydrogen exports in its 30-year life.

Queensland Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment Cameron Dick said it was the largest green hydrogen investment of its kind in the nation’s history. “It is … an endorsement of the Palaszczuk Government’s Energy and Jobs Plan,” he said. “The Palaszczuk Government is working hard to drive the state’s hydrogen industry forward, to create highly skilled jobs, especially in regional Queensland. “That’s why, through the Treasury’s Queensland Renewable Energy and Hydrogen Jobs Fund, we invested $15 million into this stage of the project.” The Queensland government believes the public-private partnership in the CQ-H2 project is within the top 10 hydrogen projects in the world, which includes the EU plan to replace Russian fuel with hydrogen. The project will complement other planned investments in a renewable hydrogen industry in the Gladstone region, including the Commonwealth Government’s Regional Hydrogen Hubs program. Michael O’Rourke, CEO of government owned energy generator and provider Stanwell Corporation said the project could create thousands of jobs and deliver billions of dollars in economic benefit. “We are proud to be leading the CQ-H2 project with our partners, which demonstrates our commitment to driving the development of Queensland’s hydrogen industry and other new technologies.