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 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 - 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 - 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 ED - Di Benedetto, Almerinda T1 - Experimental Research Of A Tank For A Cryogenic Fluid With A Wall Rupture In A Fire Scenario N2 - In the course of decarbonizing the energy industry, cryogenic energy carriers as liquefied hydrogen (LH2) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) are seen as having great potential. In technical applications, the challenge is to keep these energy carriers cold for a long time. This is achieved in the road transport sector and also stationary applications by thermal super insulations (TSI) which based on double-walled tanks with vacuum and multilayer insulation (MLI) in the interspace. This study focuses on the behaviour of widely used combustible MLI in a fire scenario, at vacuum and atmospheric pressure conditions. The former corresponds to the typical design condition and the latter to the condition after an outer hull rapture of a tank. Furthermore, two fire scenarios were taken into account: a standard-oriented approach and a hydrocarbon fire-oriented approach. For the study, a test rig was applied that allows testing of TSI at industrial conditions and subsequent analysis of TSI samples. The test rig allows thermal loading and performance analysis of TSI samples at the same time. Comparing the tests, the samples degraded differently. However, no sudden failure of the entire MLI was observed in any test. These results are relevant for the evaluation of incidents with tanks for the storage of cryogenic fluids and can thus contribute to the improvement of TSI and the development of emergency measures for the protection of persons and infrastructures. T2 - 15th International Symposium on Hazards, Prevention and Mitigation of Industrial Explosions (ISHPMIE) CY - Neapel, Italy DA - 10.06.2024 KW - Liquefied hydrogen KW - Liquefied natural gas KW - Cryogenic storage tank KW - Fire KW - Thermal insulation KW - Multi-Layer Insulation PY - 2024 SP - 707 EP - 717 AN - OPUS4-60460 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 - JOUR A1 - Camplese, Davide A1 - Scarponi, Giordano Emrys A1 - Chianese, Carmela A1 - Hajhariri, Aliasghar A1 - Eberwein, Robert A1 - Otremba, Frank A1 - Cozzani, Valerio T1 - Modeling the performance of multilayer insulation in cryogenic tanks undergoing external fire scenarios N2 - Multilayer Insulation (MLI) is frequently used in vacuum conditions for the thermal insulation of cryogenic storage tanks. The severe consequences of the degradation of such materials in engulfing fire scenarios were recently evidenced by several large-scale experimental tests. In the present study, an innovative modelling approach was developed to assess the performance of heat transfer in polyester-based MLI materials for cryogenic applications under fire conditions. A specific layer-by-layer approach was integrated with an apparent kinetic thermal degradation model based on thermogravimetric analysis results. The modeling results provided a realistic simulation of the experimental data obtained by High-Temperature Thermal Vacuum Chamber tests reproducing fire exposure conditions. The model was then applied to assess the behavior of MLI systems for liquid hydrogen tanks in realistic fire scenarios. The results show that in intense fire scenarios degradation occurs rapidly, compromising the thermal insulation performances of the system within a few minutes. KW - Multilayer Insulation KW - Cryogenic Vessels KW - Liquefied Hydrogen KW - Liquefied Natural Gas KW - Safety KW - Fire PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-599418 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2024.04.061 SN - 0957-5820 VL - 186 SP - 1169 EP - 1182 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-59941 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, Davide A1 - Scarponi, Giordano Emrys A1 - Eberwein, Robert A1 - Hajhariri, Aliasghar A1 - Otremba, Frank A1 - Cozzani, Valerio T1 - Comparative performance assessment of multilayer insulation (MLI) systems for liquid hydrogen vessels in fire scenarios N2 - Multilayer Insulation (MLI) systems are a mature technology for cryogenic liquid hydrogen (LH2) tank thermal insulation. Recent tests evidenced that MLI materials may be damaged when exposed to fire, resulting in critical safety issues in the case of accidents. Thus, an innovative approach to the performance assessment of aluminum and polyester-based MLIs for LH2 tanks in fire scenarios was developed. A specific model integrating the hightemperature degradation of MLIs and the thermodynamic modeling of the tank lading was coupled to specific key performance indicators. Results of the analysis applied to a vehicle-scale tank equipped with 80 MLI layers indicate that MLI degradation and consequent tank failure may occur in less than 20 min for external shell temperatures above 1160 K in the presence of full engulfment, regardless of insulation used. Conversely, degradation does not occur earlier than 3600s below 603 and 928 K for polyester and aluminum-based MLI, respectively. KW - LH2 KW - LNG KW - Cryogenic storage tank KW - Fire KW - Insulation PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-630841 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.04.534 SN - 0360-3199 VL - 135 SP - 537 EP - 552 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-63084 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Eberwein, Robert A1 - Hajhariri, Aliasghar A1 - Otremba, Frank A1 - Camplese, Davide A1 - Scarponi, Giordano E. A1 - Cozzani, Valerio A1 - Seidlitz, Holger T1 - Repeatable testing of a cryogenic storage tank with variable insulation material in fire like conditions N2 - For decarbonizing the energy industry and transport, cryogenic energy carriers have great potential. The storage takes place in tanks with thermal super-insulations, which are in application for decades, but there is only limited knowledge about its behaviour in a fire scenario. This represents a major incident that may generate extraordinary loads on the tank and its insulation system, and that eventually lead to a sudden tank failure. This paper presents a test rig called the Cryogenic High Temperature Thermal Vacuum Chamber (CHTTVC), which can be used to test typical thermal superinsulation’s under cryogenic and fire-like conditions in parallel. The test method makes it possible to measure the heat flow through the thermal superinsulation over time and to investigate the degradation behaviour of the insulation within a test. In the paper results from the first tests are presented. T2 - 18th Cryogenics 2025, IIR Conference CY - Prague, Czech Republic DA - 07.04.2025 KW - LH2 KW - LNG KW - Fire KW - Insulation KW - Safety PY - 2025 DO - https://doi.org/10.18462/iir.cryo.2025.0007 SP - 205 EP - 210 CY - Prag AN - OPUS4-63740 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR 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 - Loss Prevention 2025 CY - Bologna, Italien DA - 09.06.2025 KW - LH2 KW - LNG KW - Fire KW - Tank KW - Safety PY - 2025 DO - https://doi.org/10.3303/CET25116031 SN - 2283-9216 IS - 116 SP - 181 EP - 186 PB - AIDIC AN - OPUS4-63738 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -