Samsung C&T Engineering & Construction Group has announced to build the world’s largest cryogenic storage tank for liquefied hydrogen.

The Korean company said this after receiving certification for the design from the certification body, Det Norske Veritas (DNV).

As both hydrogen supply and demand continue to grow, companies are looking for better ways to safely, stably, and efficiently store larger quantities of hydrogen.

Like other gases, hydrogen can be stored in three different ways: As a compressed gas, in a liquefied form, or suspended in another chemical that acts as a carrier.

Perhaps the best method for moving or storing large quantities of a gas like hydrogen, ammonia, nitrogen, or natural gas is to lower its temperature to the point where it becomes a liquid.

There are several reasons for this. The first is that when a gas is liquefied, its volume decreases and density increases, allowing a larger amount of gas to stored in a storage container.

Furthermore, a liquefied gas is easier and more cost-effective to transport, and it can be stored and handled more safely and stably.

The liquefaction point of hydrogen is low – at -252.8 degrees Celsius – so some energy must be expended to reach and maintain temperatures this cold, and good sealants are necessary to ensure that liquefied hydrogen does not evaporate or boil off.

Samsung C&T’s has created the new design in collaboration with a British engineering firm, to enhance the stability of such a tank and to prevent unwanted boil off of liquefied hydrogen to its gaseous state.

This design means that hydrogen can be stored more efficiently. A tank with a 40,000 cu m capacity would be able to hold 2,800 tonnes of liquid hydrogen, enough to charge more than 500,000 hydrogen cars at once.

The significance of this new certification for a very large liquefied hydrogen facility is that it adds to Samsung C&T E&C’s capacity to construct large-scale storage projects for not just hydrogen but also other important substances in the energy supply chain, such as LNG.

With this liquefied hydrogen storage tank certification, Samsung C&T plans to accelerate the expansion of its business across the value chain, from development to production, storage, and transportation of green hydrogen and ammonia, which are emerging as next-generation eco-friendly energy sources.

Samsung C&T expects that this latest certification will be a driving force in promoting the company’s future green business and plans to continue to develop technologies to secure business competitiveness.

Some big projects that Samsung C&T E&C Group is already involved in are the Qatar LNG facilities and the Vietnam the Vai LNG terminal. And as a result, the Group’s capabilities are receiving international recognition in storage tank-related businesses.