PMRF Research Project: Development of Type III/IV Composite Pressure Vessels for Compressed Hydrogen/ Natural Gas storage
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur | IOCL Research and Development Center
2019 - Present
1. Theoretical study of design of composite pressure vessels using different liners and composite winding sequences for the required burst pressure and fatigue life.
2. Study the effects of liner geometry, composite design, raw material characteristics, manufacturing, and testing parameters on burst pressure and failure characteristics using engineering principles followed by FEA.
3. Manufacturing high-performing composite pressure vessels following ISO 15869/11439 followed by their testing for safe hydrogen/ CNG storage in automotive applications.
4. Modeling of the winding and curing process to predict the raw material consumption, composite layer distribution, component volume fractions, and the overall performance of composite cylinders using chemical engineering principles along with mechanics at micro, macro, laminate, and structural level.
5. Designing and manufacturing cylinders for operation in extreme temperature conditions using FEA models for operation in tropical countries.
6. Develop a modified design, manufacturing, and pre-treatment technique for developing high performance filament wound Type-3 cylinder with enhanced lifetime.
7. Manufacturing high performing composite structures using plasma treated carbon reinforcements for enhanced interfacial bonding and fracture toughness.
8. Design of CNT modified CFRP composite pressure vessels to manufacture low weight high-performing energy storage systems
Compressed gas storage is an already developed utilization technique which is widely adopted globally. Hydrogen storage costs in India can be depleted by developing indigenous manufacturing technology of type 3/ type 4 storage cylinders. Onboard compressed hydrogen gas storage falling in the National Hydrogen Mission, has an aim to make India a global hub for the production and export of green hydrogen. The Hydrogen and Fuel Cell program and the Renewable and Clean Hydrogen program of the Ministry of Science and Technology also aim to develop technologies that reduce the cost of hydrogen production, distribution and storage, to reduce the cost and increase the lifetime of fuel cell systems to be used in transport applications. This study proposes the development of a low-cost, indigenously manufactured type-3 or type-4 cylinder for onboard storage of compressed hydrogen gas.
A sub-objective focuses on determining the effects of hydrostatic load on the vessel in the form of burst pressure. In the case of composite cylinders, unidirectional carbon fibers are wrapped on the liner geometry at different winding angles. They act as orthotropic materials as the load-bearing capacity along the transverse direction is weaker than the longitudinal direction. The FEA model yields the stress analysis of the cylinder subjected to a given internal pressure. It is used to virtually test the cylinder for determining the burst pressure and failure characteristics after burst according to the available failure mechanisms.
The burst characteristics of the cylinder depend on the liner material, liner geometry, liner thickness, composite material, composite winding pattern, composite layer thickness, winding parameters, curing technique, etc. Manufacturing and testing the vessels for studying the effect of these statistical variations on the burst performance of the cylinder is a time-intensive study. Therefore, the validated FEA model act as an economically feasible solution for virtually designing, manufacturing, and testing cylinders for any operating pressure, volumetric capacity, liner, and composite material, geometry, thickness, properties, winding pattern, and failure strengths.
The effect of manufacturing parameters on the composite characteristics are analyzed by modeling the filament winding process using engineering principles. An analytical model to establish a relationship between the volume fraction of fiber/resin materials and the composite layer thickness with the manufacturing paramters is developed and experimentally validated. The tension, bandwidth, winding speed, and winding temperature are optimized for the filament winding process to manufacture high performing cylinders.
The fatigue life of the vessel is another critical parameter that affects the lifetime, recyclability, frequency of refueling, and permanent deformation in the cylinders due to cyclic loading under thermal and mechanical loads. Accelerated cyclic pressurization for a life span of 15 years yielded the results on the fatigue life. The cylinder passes the test if it completes 33750 cycles when pressurized from 2MPa to 43.75MPa cyclically without any explosion or leakage during the testing.
These models are extended to optimize the composite design, manufacturing, and pretreatment parameters to manufacture high performing cylinders with low system weight.
Another sub-objective includes predicting the thermomechanical response of the composite cylinder under hydrostatic load. The performance of the cylinders operating at higher temperatures for operation in tropical countries is analyzed. Accelerated stress rupture test and high temperature creep test of ISO 11439 are used to experimentally validate the developed model for predicting the burst pressure of cylinder after thermomechanical processing.
We are also working on the development of type 3 /type 4 composite cylinders for HCNG storage. Safety components of HCNG are similar to the CNG; it reduces the engine’s unburned hydrocarbon emissions and speeds up the process of combustion. The engine’s fuel efficiency is improved which lowers the fuel consumption of the vehicle. The thermal efficiency and fuel economy is also increased by HCNG. These many advantages of HCNG over CNG can help us advance towards the future hydrogen economy. Therefore, the Supreme court of India has already passed orders to replace CNG with a 18-20% by volume blend of HCNG. It is an initiative to control air pollution standards of the country. The Research and Development Center of IOCL, Faridabad has already included changes in its steam reformer to produce HCNG directly. Issues with production and utilization of HCNG in India have already been resolved, we lack in storage techniques. Therefore, we plan to solve the problems with HCNG storage.
Other Completed Projects:
Comparative Evaluation of Newly Developed Engine Hoods and Engine Hood Available in the Market
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur | Tata Hitachi
October 2018 - January 2019
1. Study various properties of given FRP specimens using ASTM standards for different tests.
2. Propose the techniques of their manufacturing using reverse engineering.
Photophysics of Styryl Derivatives in different macrocyclic hosts : A spectroscopic study.
Indian Institute of Technology Patna
August 2017 - April 2018
1. Study interactions of the synthesised benzoxazole with host molecules.
2. Encapsulation of the formed inclusion complex with metal ions.
Study of Supramolecular interactions of Cyclodextrins with various guest molecules
Indian Institute of Technology Patna
December 2016 - April 2017
1. Photo-physically study the structure and interactions of self-assembled host molecules with fluorescent guest species.
Study of Interactions of biologically active Drug molecules with Organised Assemblies.
Indian Institute of Technology Patna
August 2016 - April 2017
1. Spectroscopic techniques were used to study interactions of
biologically active drug molecules with organized assemblies .