Elium® thermoplastic resin for high pressure composite tanks
- Asia Pacific
- Europe
- Latin America and the Caribbean
- North America
The material most commonly used on the high pressure composite tank market today is epoxy resin. This material offers good mechanical resistance to contain the pressure and the hydrogen and contributes to lightening the weight of the tanks which were made of metal in previous generations. The current tanks of type 4 tanks are made of carbon fibers and epoxy resins epoxy resins wound on a liner.
But the epoxy, like all thermoset composites, also has its disadvantages, mainly its non-recyclability. Currently, end of life epoxy resin tanks, not recyclable, are buried or recovered as solid as solid recovered fuel, in particular for heating heating cement plants.
Elium® resin is therefore welcome in view of the tightening of regulations regulations regarding the burial of industrial industrial waste and increasing recycling obligations in Europe. At the end of the tank's life, he recovers the precious carbon fibres for other uses, as well as the resin.
Elium® resin tanks are simpler to produce and less expensive.
Compared to epoxy resin, the manufacturing phase for tanks is reduced, mainly in terms of winding and polymerization time. This allows manufacturers to lower their investment costs and increase their production rates.
From a safety point of view, the mixture Elium® resin with the carbon fiber ensures the same impermeability of the tank as the epoxy resin. The challenge is to ensure mechanical resistance to the pressure of hydrogen, which amounts to 700 bar.
Arkema, in partnership with CANOE, has managed to manufacture Elium® tanks that can withstand a pressure of more than 1,500 bar, which means they can hold more hydrogen to contain a larger quantity of hydrogen. The Elium® resin also leads to an improvement in the service life. A composite hydrogen tank made of Elium® resin can last up to 30 years.