TY - JOUR A1 - Camplese, Davide A1 - Cozzolino, Chiara A1 - Scarponi, Giordano Emrys A1 - Eberwein, Robert A1 - Otremba, Frank A1 - Cozzani, Valerio T1 - Safety Assessment of MLI Super-Insulation Systems for Cryogenic Liquid-Hydrogen Tanks in Fire Scenarios N2 - In the context of green energy transition, cryogenic tanks insulated by MLI and vacuum are emerging as a leading solution to store hydrogen in heavy-duty vehicles. However, the integrity of such tanks can be jeopardized by fire. In such a scenario, MLI materials degradation can occur, leaving the tank unprotected from the fire heat flux, with consequent rapid pressurization and a high risk of failure. This study presents a safety assessment of non-combustible MLI under fire exposure based on the estimation of the time to mechanical failure of the equipment. This is calculated through an innovative model that simulates the thermomechanical response of the tank, including the MLI thermal degradation and the pressure-relief valve (PRV) operation. The application to several case studies that consider a typical LH2 tank featuring a wide range of MLI configurations demonstrated the likelihood of failure in case of exposure to a hydrocarbon pool fire, providing also comprehensive insights into the impact of the insulation characteristics and operating conditions on the time to failure. T2 - Loss Prevention 2025 CY - Bologna, Italien DA - 09.06.2025 KW - LH2 KW - LNG KW - Fire KW - Insulation KW - Safety KW - Tank PY - 2025 DO - https://doi.org/10.3303/CET25116036 SN - 2283-9216 IS - 116 SP - 211 EP - 216 PB - AIDIC AN - OPUS4-63739 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Eberwein, Robert T1 - Cryogenic Storage Tanks In Fire Incidents N2 - The ongoing geo-political conflicts and the increasing need for the implementation of measures to improve the energetic system sustainability are increasing the importance of tanks for storing cryogenic fluids in the energy industry. The most common example of cryogenic tank applications is the transport of natural gas and hydrogen in their liquid form (LNG and LH2 respectively) for which, considering the same transport volume cryogenic storage ensures significantly higher transport capacities with respect storage based solely on overpressure. A common feature of all cryogenic transported fluids is that their condition must be maintained minimizing heat leaks from the environment as much as possible. This is achieved by the implementation of thermal super Insulations (TSI) systems based on e. g. rock wool, perlites, microspheres, multilayer insulations (MLI), and vacuum which have proven to be effective in applications. However, due to the relatively short period of use in some applications, the small number of documented incidents, and the still few investigations carried out in the field, the exploitation of such systems in the cryogenic fluids transport sector still suffers from insufficient knowledge about the course and consequences of incidents. Accidents involving collisions, fires, and their combination are quite common in the transportation sector and may generate extraordinary loads on the tank and its insulation system, eventually leading to tank failure. The present study focuses on the behavior of TSI systems in tanks when it is exposed to an external heat source representative of a hydrocarbon fire scenario. This may cause an increase of the heat flux into a tank by several orders of magnitude with respect to normal design conditions, thus inducing severe and in the TSI, causing the rapid release of flammable gas and even resulting in a Boiling Liquide Expanding Vapour Explosion (BLEVE). To study such scenarios a test rig was developed at BAM that allows testing of TSI at industrial conditions and enables subsequent analysis of TSI samples. This test rig considers the typical double-walled design of tanks for cryogenic fluids with vacuum and an additional insulating material in the interspace. Adjustable electrical heating elements simulate the fire on one side of the double wall. This process allows the implementation of repeatable heat loads of up to 100 kW/m². The other side of the double wall is represented by a fluid-supported heat exchanger, which allows the simulation of cold or cryogenic conditions in the test rig, and to determine the heat flux transmitted through the double wall. Thus, the test rig allows thermal loading and performance analysis of TSI samples at the same time. In the presentation, the results of diverse tested TSI systems will be presented and discussed. As a result of this study, the list of advantages and disadvantages for the choice of tested TSI expands. Within the test, all samples degraded as a consequence of a hydrocarbon fire-orientated thermal load. Strong differences in the behavior of the tested TSI systems over temperature, location, and time were observed. Additionally, the tested MLI insulations were significantly more resistant to their base materials. These results are relevant for the design, the definition of national and international regulations, the Risk assessment, and the development of safety concepts for cryogenic tanks. T2 - Cryogenic Storage Tanks CY - Munich, Germany DA - 18.04.2024 KW - LH2 KW - LNG KW - Fire KW - Insulation PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-59921 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Eberwein, Robert A1 - Hajhariri, Aliasghar A1 - Camplese, D. A1 - Scarponi, G. E. A1 - Cozzani, V. A1 - Otremba, Frank T1 - Insulation Materials Used in Tanks for the Storage of Cryogenic Fluids in Fire Scenarios N2 - The importance of tanks for storing cryogenic fluids in the energy industry is increasing because of ongoing political conflicts and the implementation of more environmentally friendly energy sources. Key representatives for the application of cryogenic tanks are natural gas in the form of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and hydrogen, e. g. in the form of Liquefied Hydrogen (LH2), for which significantly higher transport capacities can be achieved with the same transport volume using cryogenic storages than with storages based solely on overpressure. What applies to all cryogenic transported fluids in common is their condition that must be maintained. Hence heat flows into the preserved fluid must be minimized. Thermal super Insulations (TSI) based on e. g. multilayer insulations (MLI), perlites, and vacuum are utilized for this purpose and have already proven themselves in similar applications. However, for the use of tanks for cryogenic fluids in the transport sector, there is insufficient knowledge regarding the course and consequences of incidents, which is due to the still short period of use and the few documented incidents, hence few investigations carried out in this field. Typical scenarios in the transport sector represent car accidents with collisions, fires, and their combination, which are associated with extraordinary loads on the tank. The focus of this study is to investigate the behavior of TSI as a result of their thermal exposure to a heat source representing a fire. It is worth mentioning that this could lead to an increase of the heat flux into a tank by several orders of magnitude, and to permanent damage of the TSI, ultimately rapid release of flammable gas as well as a Boiling Liquide Expanding Vapour Explosion (BLEVE). For this purpose, a high temperature thermal vacuum chamber (HTTVC) has been developed that allows thermal loading of MLI or perlites in a vacuum and simultaneous measurement of heat flow through this TSI. The HTTVC is designed to represent realistic insulation conditions and to withstand thermal loads from typical design fires. The HTTVC was applied to investigate TSI based on MLI and vacuum. It is shown that the thermal stress caused permanent damage to the TSI, with shrinkage, phase change, pyrolysis, and condensation being significant damage mechanisms. The results are relevant for the evaluation of accident scenarios and can thus contribute to the improvement of TSI and the development of emergency measures for the protection of persons and infrastructures. T2 - ASME 2023 Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference (PVP2023) CY - Atlanta, Georgia, USA DA - 16.07.2023 KW - LH2 KW - LNG KW - Fire KW - MLI KW - Safety PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-57974 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Scarponi, G. T1 - Modelling the response of LH2 tanks equipment with Multi Layer Insulation to fire exposure N2 - Hydrogen is among the most promising candidates to replace fossil fuels in the energy transition. Hydrogen-powered vehicles are already a reality, and their number is foreseen to increase considerably in the next decade. Among the possible solutions to store hydrogen in such vehicles, cryogenic tanks equipped with multi-layer insulation (MLI) appear to be one of the most effective to ensure high volumetric energy density. A potential loss of integrity of this kind of storage equipment might lead to severe consequences due to high flammability of hydrogen. This might occur, for instance, as a consequence of the exposure to an external source of heat such as a fire following a car accident. Real scale fire test results suggest that the super insulating performance of MLI systems may undergo severe degradation when this is subjected to high temperature, leaving the tank almost unprotected and leading to failure in a relatively short time. Characterizing this kind of accident scenario is crucial to ensure a safe design of storage tanks for Hydrogen-powered vehicles. This presentation provides an overview of the ongoing research work on modelling MLI LH2 tanks exposed to fire. Lumped and computational fluid dynamic based models are presented, highlighting current gaps. The relevance of taking MLI degradation into account when simulating the pressure increase due to external fire exposure is here demonstrated through the analysis case studies. T2 - H2-Kolloquium CY - Online meeting DA - 21.06.2023 KW - LH2 KW - Cold KW - MLI PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-57878 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Eberwein, Robert A1 - Heßmann, Jennifer A1 - Werner, Jan A1 - Scarponi, Giordano Emrys A1 - Cozzani, Valerio A1 - Otremba, Frank T1 - Investigation of realistic fire scenarios involving cryogenic storage tanks N2 - The number of vehicles using or transporting cryogenic fuels such as Liquefied Hydrogen (LH2) or Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) increases fast in the land transportation sector. Does this also entail new risks for instance from a BLEVE? A key to answer this question is to research representative fires by its characterization and its effect on the insulation. At BAM’s technical test side in Germany, a test series was started to answer this question among others. This paper presents results on a pool fire under a colorimeter, that simulates a tank. The investigation points out, that the full fire characterization approach allows to represent the fire. The findings are relevant for the investigation of a representative design fire that is applicable for the approval and improvement of tanks as well as to research accident scenarios and their consequences. T2 - 18th EFCE International Symposium on Loss Prevention and Safety Promotion in the Process Industries CY - Bologna, Italy DA - 08.06.2025 KW - LH2 KW - Insulation KW - Fire KW - Liquefied Natural Gas KW - Safety PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63425 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Otremba, Frank T1 - Systems with Cryogenic Liquefied Gases in Fire Incidents N2 - Liquefied Hydrogen (LH2) or Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) establish themselves as important energy carriers in the transport sector. Its storage requires tanks with Thermal Super Insulations (TSI) to keep the transported fluid cold. TSI has proven itself in various applications over a long time, but not in the land transport sector, where accidents involving collisions, fires, and their combination are to be expected. The focus of this study is to investigate the behavior of different types of TSI when exposed to a heat source that represents a fire. Therefore, a High- Temperature Thermal Vacuum Chamber (HTTVC) was used that allows the thermal loading of thermal insulation material in a vacuum and measuring the heat flow through the TSI in parallel. Within this study, 5 samples were tested regarding 3 different types of MLI, rock wool, and perlites. The thermal exposure caused different effects on the samples. In practice, this can be connected to the rapid release of flammable gases as well as a Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapour Explosion (BLEVE). These results are relevant for the evaluation of accident scenarios, the improvement of TSI, and the development of emergency measures. T2 - IMECE 2023 CY - New Orleans, Louisiana, USA DA - 29.10.2023 KW - LH2 KW - LNG KW - Fire PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-58769 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Eberwein, Robert T1 - Energy Transportation and Storage with Liquid Hydrogen N2 - Hydrogen is seen as a potential energy source that enables us to achieve our climate targets. Hydrogen can be well integrated into the electrical energy infrastructure, and its production and use is free of direct GHG emissions. However, tanks are needed for worldwide storage and transportation, which require further development and upscaling. In the EU-funded NICOLHy project, novel insulation concepts based on Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIP) are being investigated. These aim to enable the safe, cost- and energy-efficient storage of large quantities of LH₂. Such large-scale LH₂ storage technology is necessary to build transport and stationary tanks with capacities ranging from 40,000 m³ to more than 200,000 m³ of LH₂, similar to current LNG applications. However, new design concepts are needed, as the technologies currently used for small and medium-sized storage are not suitable for upscaling. The main disadvantages of the current state of the art in terms of upscaling are long production times due to complex process chains, low failure tolerance, and the spherical shape of the tanks, which reduces payload in technical applications by up to 50% compared to other geometries. The novel concept aims to overcome these limitations by being modular, open-form, energy-efficient, time- and cost-efficient in production, operation, and maintenance, safe while being multi-failure tolerant, and suitable for both transport and stationary applications. To achieve these ambitious objectives, experts from all over Europe in the fields of thermodynamics, cryogenics, marine, chemistry, process, and safety engineering are working hand in hand. Within the NICOLHy project, several insulation concepts have been developed and will be benchmarked using a set of key performance indicators aligned with the overall project goals. During the development process, refined and detailed research questions were formulated, which are being addressed through ongoing theoretical and experimental studies. In this context, small to large-scale test rigs are being built to evaluate and quantify insulation materials and concepts. The presentation will showcase the NICOLHy project and its progress. NICOLHy will contribute to accelerating the integration of hydrogen into the European energy economy and industry—supporting the European Green Deal and fostering public trust in both policy and technology. T2 - Hydrogen Research and Innovation Days CY - Brussels, Belgium DA - 24.11.2025 KW - LH2 KW - Insulation PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-64829 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Eberwein, Robert A1 - Ustolin, Federico A1 - Zervaki, Anna A1 - Okpeke, Bright A1 - Harwege, Finn A1 - Tugnoli, Alessandro T1 - NICOLHy - 3rd Stakeholder Advisory Board meeting N2 - The NICOLHy project aims to develop a novel insulation concept based on Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIP) that enables the safe, cost- and energy efficient storage of large quantities of LH2. Such large scale LH2 storage technology is necessary for establishing a hydrogen economy with dimensions between 40.000 m³ and more than 200.000 m³ of LH2. However, new design concepts are needed because the currently available technologies used in small and medium storages today are not suitable for up-scaling. The main problems prohibiting the up-scaling are the long production time due to the process chain, the low failure tolerance and the spherical shape, which reduces the payload in technical applications by up to 50% compared to other shapes. The novel concept will change these conditions by a system which is modular, open-form, time-and cost efficient while production, operation and service, multi-failure tolerant and applicable for onshore and offshore applications. The presentations shows details to the concept and presents several safety concerns the project has to deal with. T2 - NICOLHy 3rd Stakeholder Meeting CY - Online meeting DA - 27.06.2025 KW - LH2 KW - Insulation KW - Tanks PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63730 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Eberwein, Robert A1 - Ustolin, Federico A1 - Zervaki, Anna A1 - Okpeke, Bright A1 - Harwege, Finn A1 - Tugnoli, Alessandro T1 - NICOLHy - 4th Stakeholder Advisory Board Meeting N2 - The NICOLHy project aims to develop a novel insulation concept based on Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIP) that enables the safe, cost- and energy efficient storage of large quantities of LH2. Such large scale LH2 storage technology is necessary for establishing a hydrogen economy with dimensions between 40.000 m³ and more than 200.000 m³ of LH2. However, new design concepts are needed because the currently available technologies used in small and medium storages today are not suitable for up-scaling. The main problems prohibiting the up-scaling are the long production time due to the process chain, the low failure tolerance and the spherical shape, which reduces the payload in technical applications by up to 50% compared to other shapes. The novel concept will change these conditions by a system which is modular, open-form, time-and cost efficient while production, operation and service, multi-failure tolerant and applicable for onshore and offshore applications. The presentations shows details to the concept and presents several safety concerns the project has to deal with. T2 - NICOLHy 4th Stakeholder Advisory Board Meeting CY - Hamburg, Germany DA - 23.01.2026 KW - LH2 KW - Insulation KW - Life cycle assessment KW - Tank PY - 2026 AN - OPUS4-65437 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Eberwein, Robert T1 - NICHOLHy - Novel insulation concepts for liquefied hydrogen storage tanks N2 - Liquefied Hydrogen is a promising energy carrier for the flexible import of energy to Europe. But, tanks in the relevant scale of 40 000 to 200 000 m³ do not exist yet. The upscaling of liquid hydrogen (LH2) storage tanks from the current largest tank of 4700 m³ requires a new concept for thermal insulation. NICOLHy studies novel concepts based on multiple layers of vacuum insulation panels (VIPs). Current LH2 tanks rely on the intactness of a single vacuum layer that covers the whole tank. The multilayered VIP systems offer redundancy and improve manufacturability. The Article describes the progress within the project. KW - LH2 KW - Insulation KW - Tanks PY - 2026 UR - https://www.europeanenergyinnovation.eu/content/files/2025/12/EEI-Magazine---Winter-2025-Digital-Version-Spreads-2.pdf SN - 3049-5431 VL - 2026/1 SP - 33 EP - 33 PB - Pantograf Media Ltd. CY - London AN - OPUS4-65481 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schiaroli, Alice A1 - Camplese, Davide A1 - Scarponi, Giordano Emrys A1 - Eberwein, Robert A1 - Ustolin, Federico A1 - Cozzani, Valerio T1 - Modelling the behaviour of cryogenic liquid hydrogen tanks engulfed in fire N2 - The safe use of liquid hydrogen as a clean fuel requires a deep understanding of its behaviour in accident scenarios. Among other scenarios, the possible involvement of cryogenic liquid hydrogen tanks in engulfing fires is of particular concern, due to the potentially severe consequences. This study proposes a computational fluid dynamic model suitable to simulate the behaviour of liquid hydrogen tanks equipped with multi-layer insulation (MLI) engulfed in fire. An original approach has been developed to assess the progressive degradation of the performance of the thermal insulation, that is crucial in determining the tank pressurization and failure. The model is validated against full-scale experimental fire tests. The outcomes of the model reproduce the progressive pressurization and the opening time of the pressure relief valve within 2 % error. The results demonstrate the importance of accounting for the dynamic evolution of the progressive degradation of the insulation when evaluating tank pressurization, and they highlight the limitations of empirical, simplified state-of-the-art approaches. Furthermore, the analysis evidences the key role of the fire temperature in governing tank response, stressing the need for proper fire characterization to support reliable modelling of fire scenarios and the development of emergency planning and mitigation strategies ensuring the structural integrity of liquid hydrogen tanks during fire attacks. KW - LH2 KW - LNG KW - Fire KW - Tank PY - 2026 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-652920 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2025.108319 SN - 0957-5820 VL - 206 SP - 1 EP - 14 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-65292 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Eberwein, Robert T1 - Systems With Cryogenic Liquefied Gases In Fire-Incidents N2 - The volumetric energy density of a gas can be increased by liquefaction, which occurs when the gas is cooled below the saturation point. Liquefied gases of great importance to the energy transition are Liquefied Hydrogen (LH2) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), which can be liquefied at temperatures below 160°C. Systems for storing these gases typically must be overpressure resistant and require thermal super insulations (TSI) to hold cryogenic conditions and minimize boil-off losses from evaporation. TSI with vacuum and MLI or perlites are suitable for many applications involving LNG and LH2. Such systems are typically double-walled structures where the inner wall is in contact with the cryogenic liquefied gas. MLI or perlites are located in the gap between the inner and the outer wall, that is kept under vacuum conditions. This combination of insulations strongly reduces the heat transfer between the environment and the cryogenic liquefied gas. From an economic point of view the systems are well sophisticated. However, knowledge of the behavior of this kind of systems in a typical event such as a fire is limited, but necessary to evaluate the safety of the increasing number of applications. The objective of the research is to determine how TSI behaves at different fire temperatures during fire exposure and afterwards. Special attention is paid to changes in the heat flux, the material properties and vacuum state over time. For this purpose, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) studies have been carried out. In addition, a test rig was developed that allows testing of TSI at temperatures up to 1000°C under realistic integration conditions and subsequent analysis of the TSI samples. In the test rig the double-wall with vacuum and MLI or perlites inside is simulated. The fire conditions are simulated on one side of the double-wall by adjustable electrical heating elements. This process allows the implementation of repeatable heat flows of up to 100 kW/m². On the other side of the double-wall, cold or cryogenic conditions are simulated with a heat exchanger through which water or the vapor of liquid nitrogen (approx. -196°C) flows. The heat exchanger is also used to determine the heat flux through the double-wall. Thus, the test rig allows thermal loading and performance analysis of TSI samples at the same time. Compared to tests with real cryogenic systems, tests with this experimental setup have the advantage that, first, the instrumentation is easier to realize, and a higher repeatability is ensured. Second, the local heat flow can be determined over time, and the sample of a TSI can be taken non-destructively and thus analyzed. Third, the tests are less risky as well as time+ and material intensive, so that more tests and variants can be investigated with the same budget. Preliminary results obtained considering several types of MLI under vacuum show that all observed typs of MLI can be damaged under strong thermal loading. The damages observed were outgassing, melting, shrinkage, cracking, lump formation, and concomitant local loss of the MLI's function as a radiation shield. However, the study also shows that a damage does not always have an extreme effect on the insulating performance. T2 - IMECE2022 CY - Columbus, Ohio, USA DA - 30.10.2022 KW - LH2 KW - LNG KW - Safety KW - Insulation KW - Tank PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-56445 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Holtappels, Kai T1 - Safety Aspects for Hydrogen Technologies - H2Safety@BAM N2 - Hydrogen is a central component of the energy transition and the European Green Deal for a climate-neutral Europe. To be able to achieve the targets defined by 2045, the EU and the German government have drafted a framework for action and are making long-term investments in research, development and the rapid implementation of innovative hydrogen technologies. The conditions for a successful energy transition and the economic use of green hydrogen as a clean energy carrier are Hydrogen readiness and a rapid market ramp-up, as well as the establishment of the necessary value chains in the national and European framework. Reliable quality and safety standards are the prerequisite for ensuring safety of supply and environmental compatibility and for creating trust in these technologies. BAM has bundled its expertise in the field of hydrogen technologies into a competence center H2Safety@BAM to create confidence in the technology and to support the hydrogen strategies of the German government and the EU. The topic of hydrogen has been current at BAM for more than one hundred years and is also currently the focus of numerous research and cooperation activities. The competence centre H2Safety@BAM and its vision of “We build trust in hydrogen technologies” will be presented with its many safety-related topics, which can be found throughout the entire hydrogen value chain. Two deep dives will present the results on projects dealing with the design-to-cost issue of classical pressurized gas storage containments and the consequences of the release of liquid hydrogen, which will be roughly compared to the release of ammonia. T2 - 25. Kalorimetrietage CY - Braunschweig, Germany DA - 31.05.2023 KW - H2Safety@BAM KW - Safety KW - Hydrogen KW - Gas cylinders KW - DELFIN KW - LH2 KW - Hydrogen release KW - Rapid phase transition KW - Consequences KW - Cyro storage tanks PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-57629 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Camplese, Davide T1 - Safety assessment of MLI super-insulation systems for cryogenic liquid-hydrogen tanks in fire scenarios N2 - In the context of green energy transition, cryogenic tanks featuring MLI systems are emerging as a leading solution to store hydrogen in heavy-duty vehicles. However, the integrity of such tanks can be jeopardized by fire. In such a scenario, MLI materials degradation can occur, leaving the tank unprotected from the fire heat flux, with consequent rapid pressurization and a high risk of failure. This study presents an assessment of aluminum-based MLI for liquid hydrogen cryogenic tanks under fire exposure based on the estimation of the time to mechanical failure of the equipment. This is calculated through an innovative model that simulates the thermomechanical response of the tank, including the MLI thermal degradation and the pressure-relief valve (PRV) operation. The application to several case studies that consider a typical LH2 tank featuring a wide range of MLI configurations demonstrated the likelihood of failure in case of exposure to a hydrocarbon pool fire, providing also comprehensive insights into the impact of the insulation characteristics and operating conditions on the time to failure. T2 - 18th EFCE International Symposium on Loss Prevention and Safety Promotion in the Process Industries CY - Bologna, Italy DA - 08.06.2025 KW - LH2 KW - Insulation KW - Tanks KW - Fire KW - LNG PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63427 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Camplese, Davide A1 - Scarponi, Giordano Emrys A1 - Eberwein, Robert A1 - Hajhariri, Aliasghar A1 - Otremba, Frank A1 - Cozzani, Valerio T1 - Modelling Fire Response of Cryogenic Liquid Hydrogen Tanks Equipped with Multilayer Insulation (MLI) Systems N2 - In the context of the growing global interest in hydrogen-based green energy, cryogenic tanks equipped with multi-layer insulation (MLI) are emerging as a leading solution for storing hydrogen in vehicles. The integrity of these systems might be threatened during fire exposure. This can trigger the degradation of the MLI materials and induce rapid pressurization of the tank with a high risk of catastrophic failure. In this work, a novel lumped model to simulate the thermal response of MLI-equipped cryogenic liquid hydrogen tanks is presented. The model integrates the accurate database “Coolprop” for hydrogen thermodynamic properties and sub-models for detailed simulation of MLI degradation, providing a realistic simulation of the experimental data obtained under normal operating conditions. The application of the model to several case studies considering different numbers of MLI layers and tank geometries demonstrates that aluminum-based MLI offers scarce protection in case of exposure to a hydrocarbon poolfire. T2 - CISAP 11 CY - Neapel, Italy DA - 15.09.2024 KW - LH2 KW - LNG KW - Cryogenic storage tank KW - Insulation KW - MLI PY - 2024 DO - https://doi.org/10.3303/CET24111076 SN - 2283-9216 VL - 111 SP - 451 EP - 456 PB - AIDIC The Italian Association of Chemical Engineering AN - OPUS4-61384 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Eberwein, Robert A1 - Hajhariri, Aliasghar A1 - Camplese, Davide A1 - Scarponi, Giordano Emrys A1 - Cozzani, Valerio A1 - Otremba, Frank T1 - A comparative study on insulation materials in tanks for the storage of cryogenic fluids in fire incidents N2 - Liquefied Hydrogen (LH2) or Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) establish themselves as important energy carriers in the transport sector. Its storage requires tanks with Thermal Super Insulations (TSI) to keep the transported fluid cold. TSI has proven itself in various applications over a long time, but not in the land transport sector, where accidents involving collisions, fires, and their combination are to be expected. The focus of this study is to investigate the behavior of different types of TSI when exposed to a heat source that represents a fire. Therefore, a High-Temperature Thermal Vacuum Chamber (HTTVC) was used that allows the thermal loading of thermal insulation material in a vacuum and measuring the heat flow through the TSI in parallel. Within this study, 5 samples were tested regarding 3 different types of MLI, rock wool, and perlites. The thermal exposure caused different effects on the samples. In practice, this can be connected to the rapid release of flammable gases as well as a Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapour Explosion (BLEVE). These results are relevant for the evaluation of accident scenarios, the improvement of TSI, and the development of emergency measures. T2 - IMECE 2023 CY - New Orleans, Louisiana, USA DA - 29.10.2023 KW - LH2 KW - LNG KW - Fire PY - 2023 SP - 1 EP - 7 AN - OPUS4-58768 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Eberwein, Robert A1 - Scarponi, Giordano T1 - Performance of MLI systems for LH2 Tanks in fire scenarios N2 - In the course of decarbonizing the energy industry, cryogenic energy carriers are seen as having great potential. This is because they allow significantly higher volumetric energy densities to be achieved than when these energy carriers are stored at typical temperatures on Earth. This is important for numerous energy-intensive applications, such as those found in all transport sectors. Important cryogenic energy carriers include liquefied hydrogen (LH2) and liquefied natural gas (LNG). The challenge is to keep the energy carrier cold for a long time. This is achieved by the implementation of thermal super-insulations (TSI) systems based on multilayer insulations (MLI), microspheres, perlites, and vacuum for instance, and which have proven to be effective in several cryogenic applications. However, due to the short period of use, the low number of documented incidents, and the still few investigations carried out in the field, the exploitation of such systems in the transport sector still suffers from insufficient knowledge about the course and consequences of incidents. Accidents involving collisions, fires, and their combination are quite common in the transportation sector and may generate extraordinary loads on the tank and its insulation system, eventually leading to tank failure. The presentation summarizes the findings from the cooperation of the University of Bologna and BAM regarding the experiments on diverse types of super-insulations with the High Temperature Thermal Vacuum Chamber, as well as the model approaches that were developed to calculate the heat transfer and degradation of MLI’s during high thermal exposure. As an outlook the application of the models, the Cryogenic High Temperature Thermal Vacuum Chamber, and the fire test on HGV-components are presented. T2 - ELVHyS - International Stakeholder's Seminars CY - Bologna, Italy DA - 30.09.2024 KW - LH2 KW - LNG KW - Cryogenic storage tank KW - Fire KW - Safety PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-61205 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Eberwein, Robert T1 - Novel Insulation Concepts for Large Scale Liquefied Hydrogen Storages N2 - The NICOLHy project aims to develop a novel insulation concept based on Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIP) that enables the safe, cost- and energy efficient storage of large quantities of LH2. Such large scale LH2 storage technology is necessary for establishing a hydrogen economy with dimensions between 40.000 m³ and more than 200.000 m³ of LH2. However, new design concepts are needed because the currently available technologies used in small and medium storages today are not suitable for up-scaling. The main problems prohibiting the up-scaling are the long production time due to the process chain, the low failure tolerance and the spherical shape, which reduces the payload in technical applications by up to 50% compared to other shapes. The novel concept will change these conditions by a system which is modular, open-form, time-and cost efficient while production, operation and service, multi-failure tolerant and applicable for onshore and offshore applications. The presentations shows details to the concept and presents several safety concerns the project has to deal with. T2 - ELVHyS - International Stakeholder's Seminars CY - Bologna, Italy DA - 30.09.2024 KW - LH2 KW - Insulation KW - Safety PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-61208 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Harwege, Finn A1 - Eberwein, Robert T1 - Testing of vacuum insulation panels for liquefied hydrogen storage tanks N2 - For the future use of liquefied hydrogen (LH2) as a green energy carrier, new concepts for storage tanks and in particular their insulation are necessary. The methodology applied in current LH2 tanks has some disadvantages while manufacturing and operation of large tanks that may be required in the future. While liquefied natural gas tanks exist in the necessary capacities, they are incompatible with LH2 due to its significantly lower storage temperature. In this paper, the possibility of using vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) as an alternative to the conventional double walled, powder filled vacuum insulation is presented. The two systems are introduced and compared on a conceptual level with a focus on the loss of vacuum failure mode. Furthermore, a test rig that enables the testing and quantification of thermal properties of VIP based insulations in ordinary and loss of vacuum conditions is presented. The test rig is a boil-off calorimeter using liquefied nitrogen and features a square cold surface with a side length of 3 m. An overview over the planned testing and its goals is given. KW - Liquefied Hydrogen KW - Insulation KW - Vacuum Insulation Panel KW - LH2 KW - Cryogenics PY - 2025 DO - https://doi.org/10.3303/CET2511612 SN - 2283-9216 VL - 2025 IS - 116 SP - 769 EP - 774 PB - AIDIC CY - Milano, Italy AN - OPUS4-63716 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Giannakopoulos, Antonios E. A1 - Zisis, Athanasios A1 - Zervaki, Anna D. A1 - Dimopoulos, Christos D. A1 - Platypodis, Efstathios A1 - Eberwein, Robert T1 - Effective elastic moduli and failure mechanisms of a random assembly of thin walled glass microbubbles N2 - In this work a methodology is presented to estimate the elastic properties and failure mechanisms of an assembly of random, brittle microbubbles. The approach is based on the mechanics of frictionless micro-contact between hollow spherical shells by employing relations from classical shell theory and verified by two dimensional axisymmetric Finite Elements. The estimated values are in agreement with available experimental values. Moreover, a granular type analytical homogenization model provides an isotropic elastic constitutive law to be used for the macroscopic deformation of an assembly of glass micro-bubbles when it is compressed by external loads. In addition, approximate estimates are also proposed for two important micro-failure mechanisms of such assemblies that relate either to the splitting or to the buckling of a brittle spherical shell, prior its complete crushing. The results are novel and are expected to enhance the application of glass microbubbles directly in acute thermal insulation problems such as liquid hydrogen storage. KW - LH2 KW - Cryogenic Vessels KW - Insulation PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-634354 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsolstr.2025.113528 SN - 0020-7683 VL - 320 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Elsevier BV CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-63435 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Sauer, Hannah A1 - Okpeke, Bright Ebikemefa A1 - Dzielendziak, Agnieszka Sylwia A1 - Batcke, Lars A1 - Eberwein, Robert A1 - Ehlers, Sören T1 - Comparative life cycle assessment of different vacuum insulation panel core materials for cryogenic storage tanks – with a focus on glass bubbles as a novel core material N2 - Developing a sustainable hydrogen supply chain is important in facilitating the energy transition towards climate neutrality. Hydrogen in its free form can be stored and transported either as a gas or a liquid. Due to gaseous hydrogen's comparatively low energy density, liquefied hydrogen (LH 2) is often preferred, especially with regard to long-distance transportation and storage in bulk. A notable challenge associated with LH2 is the inherent requirement to preserve it at a low temperature of -253°C. Consequently, the utilisation of thermally insulated tanks is necessary to minimise LH 2 evaporation. There is a lack of literature on the environmental impacts of insulation materials and concepts for cryogenic storage tank applications in the hydrogen supply chain. Hence, this study investigates a novel concept, namely vacuum insulation panels (VIPs), focusing on their core materials, with a view to assessing their environmental sustainability and circularity. A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) model is employed to investigate six distinct VIP core materials, namely, silica aerogel, rigid polyurethane foam, expanded perlite, glass fibre, fumed silica, and glass bubbles (hollow glass microspheres), with a special focus on the latter. The LCA results show that polyurethane foam and silica aerogel rank low in environmental performance, making them less suitable as primary choice. Expanded perlite is the most environmentally friendly material option, followed by glass fibre, glass bubbles, and fumed silica. Improvements to the environmental impact of glass bubbles can be achieved via the implementation of closed-loop recycling in their life cycle. T2 - The World Hydrogen Technologies Convention 2025 CY - Dublin, Ireland DA - 21.10.2025 KW - LH2 KW - Insulation KW - Life cycle assessment PY - 2025 UR - https://www.whtc2025.com/conference-proceedings SP - 65 EP - 67 AN - OPUS4-64668 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Eberwein, Robert A1 - Hajhariri, Aliasghar A1 - Camplese, D. A1 - Scarponi, G. E. A1 - Cozzani, V. A1 - Otremba, Frank T1 - Insulation Materials Used in Tanks for the Storage of Cryogenic Fluids in Fire Scenarios N2 - The importance of tanks for storing cryogenic fluids in the energy industry is increasing because of ongoing political conflicts and the implementation of more environmentally friendly energy sources. Key representatives for the application of cryogenic tanks are natural gas in the form of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and hydrogen, e. g. in the form of Liquefied Hydrogen (LH2), for which significantly higher transport capacities can be achieved with the same transport volume using cryogenic storages than with storages based solely on overpressure. What applies to all cryogenic transported fluids in common is their condition that must be maintained. Hence heat flows into the preserved fluid must be minimized. Thermal super Insulations (TSI) based on e. g. multilayer insulations (MLI), perlites, and vacuum are utilized for this purpose and have already proven themselves in similar applications. However, for the use of tanks for cryogenic fluids in the transport sector, there is insufficient knowledge regarding the course and consequences of incidents, which is due to the still short period of use and the few documented incidents, hence few investigations carried out in this field. Typical scenarios in the transport sector represent car accidents with collisions, fires, and their combination, which are associated with extraordinary loads on the tank. The focus of this study is to investigate the behavior of TSI as a result of their thermal exposure to a heat source representing a fire. It is worth mentioning that this could lead to an increase of the heat flux into a tank by several orders of magnitude, and to permanent damage of the TSI, ultimately rapid release of flammable gas as well as a Boiling Liquide Expanding Vapour Explosion (BLEVE). For this purpose, a high temperature thermal vacuum chamber (HTTVC) has been developed that allows thermal loading of MLI or perlites in a vacuum and simultaneous measurement of heat flow through this TSI. The HTTVC is designed to represent realistic insulation conditions and to withstand thermal loads from typical design fires. The HTTVC was applied to investigate TSI based on MLI and vacuum. It is shown that the thermal stress caused permanent damage to the TSI, with shrinkage, phase change, pyrolysis, and condensation being significant damage mechanisms. The results are relevant for the evaluation of accident scenarios and can thus contribute to the improvement of TSI and the development of emergency measures for the protection of persons and infrastructures. T2 - ASME 2023 Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference (PVP2023) CY - Atlanta, Georgia, USA DA - 16.07.2023 KW - LH2 KW - LNG KW - MLI KW - Fire PY - 2023 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - ASME AN - OPUS4-57973 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Eberwein, Robert A1 - Scarponi, Giordano Emrys A1 - Cozzani, Valerio A1 - Otremba, Frank T1 - Lh2 Tanks In Fire Incidents - The Cryogenic High Temperature Thermal Vacuum Chamber Enables In-Depth Insights N2 - Liquefied Hydrogen (LH2) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) establish themselves as important energy carriers in the transport sector. Their storage requires tanks with thermal super-insulations to keep them at cryogenic conditions for a long time. These insulation systems have proven itself in various applications over a long time. However, these insulations are still new in land transportation, where accidents involving collisions, fires, and their combination are to be expected. This study summarizes the results of the ongoing research program in which insulations commonly used in industry were analysed through experimental and numerical studies under fire-like conditions. It was found that there are strong differences among the various insulation systems. Several safety concerns and research gaps exists for layered insulations, which are typically used in land transport. To further analyse these insulation systems, a new test concept called Cryogenic High Temperature Thermal Vacuum Chamber (CHTTVC) was developed and manufactured. This concept enables the testing of large insulation samples under industrial conditions and the consideration of cryogenic conditions relevant for the investigation of various phenomena. The results are important for the evaluation of accident scenarios, the improvement of thermal super-insulations, and the development of emergency measures. T2 - IMECE 2024 CY - Oregon, Portland, USA DA - 17.11.2024 KW - LH2 KW - LNG KW - Fire KW - Insulation KW - Safety PY - 2024 SN - 978-0-7918-8869-8 SP - 1 EP - 7 PB - ASME AN - OPUS4-61751 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Camplese, D. A1 - Chianese, C. A1 - Scarponi, G. A1 - Eberwein, Robert A1 - Otremba, Frank A1 - Cozzani, V. T1 - Analysis of high temperature degradation of multi-layer insulation (MLI) systems for liquid hydrogen storage tanks N2 - The interest in hydrogen-based green energy is increasing worldwide, and the same is true for hydrogen-powered vehicles. Among the possible solutions to store hydrogen in such vehicles, cryogenic tanks equipped with multi-layer insulation (MLI) are the most promising to increase the amount of energy stored per unit volume. However, MLI is affected by severe deterioration when exposed to an external source of heat such as a fire following a car accident, leaving the tank unprotected and leading to failure in a relatively short time. In this work, a one-dimensional model to evaluate MLI thermal degradation when a liquid hydrogen tank is exposed to fire is presented. The relevance of taking MLI degradation into account when simulating the pressure increase due to external fire exposure is here demonstrated through the analysis of several case studies. The results show that MLI systems performance depletes within a few minutes of exposure to hydrocarbon poolfire. T2 - ICheaP 16 CY - Naples, Italy DA - 21.05.2023 KW - LH2 KW - MLI KW - Tiefkalt KW - Fire KW - Tank PY - 2023 SN - 2283-9216 VL - 2023 SP - 1 EP - 6 PB - AIDIC Servizi S.r.l. AN - OPUS4-57584 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Eberwein, Robert T1 - Wasserstoff - Kryogene Anwendungen N2 - Wasserstoff wird als ein potenzieller alternativer Energieträger gesehen, mit dem die für 2050 gesetzten Klimaziele erreicht werden könnten. Der Transport von Wasserstoff ist mittels verschiedener Speichertechniken möglich, von denen der kryogene Transport mit den größten volumetrischen Energiedichten einhergeht. Hierdurch eignen sich diese Speicher besonders für die energieintensiven Verkehrsmittel im Land-, See- und Flugverkehr. Im Vortrag werden Speichertechniken, Gefahren im Umgang mit kryogenen Gasen sowie bisherige Störfälle dargestellt. Darauf aufbauend wird ein Teil der aktuellen Forschungsarbeit an der BAM vorgestellt, die die Sicherheit dieser Speicher unter außergewöhnlichen Belastungen adressiert. T2 - 26. Gefahrgutkongress Mecklenburg-Vorpommern CY - Rostock, Germany DA - 03.11.2022 KW - Wasserstoff KW - H2 KW - LNG KW - LH2 KW - Tank PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-56181 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -