Kawasaki Completes Basic Design for World's Largest Class (11,200-cubic-meter) Spherical Liquefied Hydrogen Storage Tank

Kawasaki's newly designed storage tank features a double-shell vacuum-insulation structure, comprising inner and outer shells with a vacuum-sealed layer in between to prevent thermal conduction from the outside air and convective heat transfer. Additionally, the tank adopts a spherical design—the best shape for reducing heat input—in order to achieve high-level thermal insulation and minimize gas evaporation (BOR^*2) to the greatest extent possible. Because liquefied hydrogen is more than 10 times more susceptible to the effects of heat than liquefied natural gas (LNG), it is vital that storage tanks for the former adopt high-precision designs incorporating sophisticated manufacturing technologies to ensure excellent thermal insulation performance. In the 1980s, Kawasaki constructed 600 m³ (540 m³ storage capacity) liquefied hydrogen storage tanks for use at the Tanegashima Space Center operated by NASDA (now part of JAXA)^*3 and carried out related maintenance and operations for more than 30 years. Furthermore, the company designed and constructed a 2,500 m³ (2,250 m³ storage capacity) liquefied hydrogen storage tank on Kobe Airport Island in 2020,^*4 which helped strengthen the company's design and manufacturing technology foundations. For this latest project, Kawasaki utilized a wide array of liquefied-hydrogen-related technologies and knowledge accumulated over the years to complete the basic design for one of the world's largest storage tanks of its kind and expand its lineup of spherical liquefied hydrogen storage tanks.

In order to realize a hydrogen society, Kawasaki will continue creating even larger-sized tanks and expanding its offerings of liquefied hydrogen storage tanks. Moreover, the company will promote the spread of hydrogen energy usage and CO₂-free operations in consideration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), working as one for the good of the planet.