Design of type IV compressed gas hydrogen tanks made of carbon fiber composites for sustainability and circularity

Abstract

The transition to sustainable energy sources has highlighted the potential of fuel cell electric vehicles and the use of hydrogen as a clean fuel alternative. Central to the deployment of hydrogen-powered vehicles is the development of efficient and reliable hydrogen storage solutions. This project focuses on the design of Type IV compressed gas hydrogen tanks made of composite materials, aiming to enhance sustainability and circularity. The Type IV tanks being made of carbon fiber as the main component constitutes a high percentage of carbon dioxide footprint in the vehicle, since it is high energy intensive to produce and traditionally use petroleum based products as a primary raw material. Reducing the carbon dioxide footprint from this product would have a huge impact in the whole vehicle. This study investigates approaches to reduce the usage of carbon fiber and virgin carbon fiber in hydrogen tanks. The methods such as mass optimization, patch reinforcement, and recycled carbon fiber substitution were explored by testing it in a virtual model of the tank using Abaqus software. The results demonstrate that these approaches can significantly reduce the amount of carbon fiber required, potentially leading to a substantial decrease in the overall carbon footprint of fuel cell electric vehicles. Furthermore, the study explores the impact of these approaches that reduces the carbon fiber usage influence the factors like material usage and stress distribution within the tank.