HYBRID TANK TECHNOLOGY
INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTIVITY/MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
ORIGINATING TECHNOLOGY/ NASA CONTRIBUTION
Researchers have accomplished great advances in
pressure vessel technology by applying high-performance
composite materials as an over-wrap to metal-lined
pressure vessels. These composite over-wrapped
pressure vessels (COPVs) are used in many areas,
from air tanks for firefighters and compressed
natural gas tanks for automobiles, to pressurant
tanks for aerospace launch vehicles and propellant
tanks for satellites and deep-space exploration
vehicles.
NASA and commercial industry are continually striving
to find new ways to make high-performance pressure
vessels safer and more reliable. While COPVs are
much lighter than all-metal pressure vessels, the
composite material, typically graphite fibers with
an epoxy matrix resin, is vulnerable to impact
damage. Carbon fiber is most frequently used for
the high-performance COPV applications because
of its high strength-to-weight characteristics.
Other fibers have been used, but with limitations.
For example, fiberglass is inexpensive but much
heavier than carbon. Aramid fibers are impact resistant
but have less strength than carbon and their performance
tends to deteriorate.
PARTNERSHIP
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center began doing
initial work on the fabrication of hybrid tank
structures through independent research and development
(IRx) activities with additional support from technology
transfer funding called the Technology Investment
Projects. However, this IRx activity did not include
the necessary depth to understand how a hybrid
structure could be produced for pressure vessel
applications.
To further the research, Marshall awarded Phase
I and Phase II Small Business Innovation Research
(SBIR) contracts to HyPerComp Engineering, Inc., a Brigham City, Utah-based company with expertise
in the design and development of pressure vessels
for commercial applications. HyPerComp Engineering’s
James Patterson and Marshall’s Tom DeLay worked
together on the development of a hybrid pressure
vessel using a “design of experiments” approach
on the type of fibers, resins, and lay-up sequences
of the vessels. Over the course of their work,
many test vessels were burst tested with and without
impact damage. The results led to a refined tank
design that NASA found to be beyond state of the
art.
The new hybrid pressure vessels are aluminum lined,
filament wound, and composite over-wrapped, with
high-impact and fire-resistant properties. The
unique hybrid technology has the potential to save
weight while producing a more robust and safer
pressure vessel that is applicable to both NASA
and commercial missions. The vessels have passed
many of the standard U.S. Department of Trans-portation
tests and are currently being tested under more
stringent means for military applications.
PRODUCT OUTCOME
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This image shows one of HyPerComp Engineering, Inc.’s test cylinders. Applications
for the company’s hybrid pressure vessels include
fire safety and the automotive industry. |
NASA licensed the technology to HyPerComp Engineering,
allowing the company to manufacture different sizes
of the hybrid pressure vessels. HyPerComp Engineering
has established a manufacturing sister company,
Onyx Technologies, which will bring the technology
to the commercial marketplace.
The applications for the new pressure vessels include
improved breathing apparatuses for homeland security
and firefighting, as well as lighter and safer
storage systems for automobiles and buses that
run on hydrogen fuel as an alternative energy source.
The pressure vessels may be used for chemical processing
and pharmaceutical manufacturing, as well as for
offshore drilling, oil production, and petroleum
refineries. The technology benefits fuel tanks
for over-the-road tankers, as the vessels carry
more fuel for the same weight as existing tanks.
The Gunfire-Survivable Pressure Vessel was designed
for robust environments. Its customers include
the U.S. military, battlefield environment and
fire safety personnel, and the automotive industry.
Another area of significant interest to NASA is
regarding cryogenic tank development. Again, Marshall
has awarded both a Phase I and Phase II SBIR contract
to HyPerComp Engineering for in depth development
of cryogenic tanks. The cryogenic tank is being
developed for next generation launch systems for
the U.S. Department of Defense and NASA. For the
Space Agency, the technology can provide fuel tanks
for reusable launch vehicles, upper-stage launch
vehicles, and other spacecraft.