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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.

January 17 2023

Overview of Hopper and Tank Fabrication

k999content Blog fabrication, hoppers, industry, steel, tanks 0

Post the manufacture of products and materials like food, chemicals, pharmaceuticals etc., transportation is the next step in the process towards ensuring products reaching the end customer. In this regard, hoppers and tanks have wide applications in industries where the top priority is to keep the products or materials sterile. Apart from transportation, they also play vital roles in storage and handling and hence, are in great demand. So, how does the fabrication process of hoppers and tanks facilitate product transportation and what are its benefits in this regard? This blog will look to explore this topic in greater detail.

Stainless Steel Benefits

Stainless steel has multiple application in industry, for example steel fabrication in popular in mining. It is the perfect choice for hoppers and tanks to hold gases, chemicals, beverages, foods and different liquids. It is very flexible this makes it the perfect material for building large industrial storage equipment. Stainless steel does not need higher thickness to build strength. Moreover, stainless steel resists the rust and different types of corrosion that may happen when the substance gets constantly exposed to different liquids.

Stainless steel has a high resistance to heat. Therefore, it can easily hold up against high temperature or sudden heat rise. These properties make it a perfect material for heat induction bending services and for constructing parts of the furnace, such as the boiler rooms, lining ovens etc. There is no change to the properties nor the strength of the steel even when exposed to higher temperatures of the furnace.

Quality of Hoppers and Tanks

Quality is of utmost importance during tank and hopper fabrication. In most cases, only companies having wide experience and knowledge possess the capability and resources to build hoppers and tanks that could pass the strict requirements and standards mandated by the administration for medical, EPA, and food facilities and manufacturers. With the best fabrication companies, the customer can expect top class products custom-made to perfectly fit industry requirements. These companies do all the tank and hopper fabrication work in- house at their workshop. As result, there is faster and more efficient delivery of orders. While operating under strict industry standards, reputed companies design, cut and fabricate the stainless steel to create hoppers for multiple industries. They also possess the technology to maintain the strict hygiene and safety requirements for the food and drug industry.

The custom-made stainless-steel fabrication combines traditional forge and hammer methods with the latest technologies such as AutoCAD, water jet cutting, and plasma cutting to create industry-grade tanks and hoppers. These modern technologies ensure accuracy related to the tank and hopper fabrication. This helps to accurately anticipate the kind of end product that a customer would receive.

Features and Applications

Stainless steel tanks and hoppers are versatile, possess a safe and contained method of storing powder, customizable for variety of applications and are FDA compliant. Common shapes of stainless-steel hoppers and tanks include wedge, cone or pyramid shapes. Stainless steel hoppers are created with interior specific applications. Therefore, the inner portion of the tank or the hopper is built to accommodate sensitive ingredients and to handle most of the weight, pressure and temperature. Multiple methods are utilized in hopper fabrication like sawing, steel laser cutting, rolling, machining and welding.

Last Thoughts

As the use of hoppers and tanks becomes more widespread, fabrication has an increasingly important part to play in ensuring precision and fitment without compromising on effectiveness in industry. This blog highlights that experienced and knowledgeable firms can leverage fabrication properly for hoppers and tanks; thus, quality of work is very important in this regard. With growth in manufacturing, hopper and tank fabrication is poised to take a giant leap forward!