https://newatlas.com/aircraft/hypoint-gtl-lightweight-liquid-hydrogen-tank/

Ultra-light liquid hydrogen tanks promise to make jet fuel obsolete
By Loz Blain
April 21, 2022

HyPoint and GTL are developing ultra-lightweight cryogenic hydrogen tanks
that the partnership promises will radiacally boost the range of clean
hydrogen-electric aircraftGloyer-Taylor Laboratories
View 2 Images

A revolutionary cryogenic tank design promises to radically boost the range
of hydrogen-powered aircraft – to the point where clean, fuel-cell airliners
could fly up to four times farther than comparable planes running on today's
dirty jet fuel.

Weight is the enemy of all things aerospace – indeed, hydrogen's superior
energy storage per weight is what makes it such an attractive alternative to
lithium batteries in the aviation world. We've written before about
HyPoint's turbo air-cooled fuel cell technology
https://newatlas.com/aircraft/hypoint-basf-hydrogen-fuel-cell/?itm_source=newatlas&itm_medium=article-body
, but its key differentiator in the aviation market is its enormous power
density compared with traditional fuel cells. For its high power output,
it's extremely lightweight.

Now, it seems HyPoint has found a similarly-minded partner that's making
similar claims on the fuel storage side. Tennessee company Gloyer-Taylor
Laboratories (GTL) has been working for many years now on developing
ultra-lightweight cryogenic tanks made from graphite fiber composites, among
other materials.

GTL claims it's built and tested several cryogenic tanks demonstrating an
enormous 75 percent mass reduction as compared with "state-of-the-art
aerospace cryotanks (metal or composite)." The company says they've tested
leak-tight, even through several cryo-thermal pressure cycles, and that
these tanks are at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6+, where TRL 6
represents a technology that's been verified at a beta prototype level in an
operational environment.
HyPoint's lab validation prototype for its turbo air-cooled fuel cellHyPoint

This kind of weight reduction makes an enormous difference when you're
dealing with a fuel like liquid hydrogen, which weighs so little in its own
right. To put this in context, ZeroAvia's Val Miftakhov told us
https://newatlas.com/aircraft/interview-zeroavia-val-miftakhov-hydrogen-aviation/?itm_source=newatlas&itm_medium=article-body
in 2020 that for a typical compressed-gas hydrogen tank, the typical mass
fraction (how much the fuel contributes to the weight of a full tank) was
only 10-11 percent. Every kilogram of hydrogen, in other words, needs about
9 kg of tank hauling it about.

Liquid hydrogen, said Miftakhov at the time, could conceivably allow
hydrogen planes to beat regular kerosene jets on range. "Even at a
30-percent mass fraction, which is relatively achievable in liquid hydrogen
storage, you'd have the utility of a hydrogen system higher than a jet fuel
system on a per-kilogram basis," he said.

GTL claims the 2.4-m-long, 1.2-m-diameter (7.9-ft-long, 3.9-ft-diameter)
cryotank pictured at the top of this article weighs just 12 kg (26.5 lb).
With a skirt and "vacuum dewar shell" added, the total weight is 67 kg (148
lb). And it can hold over 150 kg (331 lb) of hydrogen. That's a mass
fraction of nearly 70 percent, leaving plenty of spare weight for
cryo-cooling gear, pumps and whatnot even while maintaining a total system
mass fraction over 50 percent.

If it does what it says on the tin, this promises to be massively
disruptive. At a mass fraction of over 50 percent, HyPoint says it will
enable clean aircraft to fly four times as far as a comparable aircraft
running on jet fuel, while cutting operating costs by an estimated 50
percent on a dollar-per-passenger-mile basis – and completely eliminating
carbon emissions.

HyPoint gives the example of a typical De Havilland Canada Dash-8 Q300,
which flies 50-56 passengers about 1,558 km (968 miles) on jet fuel.
Retrofitted with a fuel cell powertrain and a GTL composite tank, the same
plane could fly up to 4,488 km (2,789 miles). "That's the difference between
this plane going from New York to Chicago with high carbon emissions versus
New York to San Francisco with zero carbon emissions," said HyPoint
co-founder Sergei Shubenkov in a press release.

There's not a sector in the aviation world that shouldn't be pricking up its
ears at this news. From electric VTOLs to full-size intercontinental
airliners, there aren't a lot of operators that wouldn't want to
dramatically boost flight range, reduce costs, eliminate carbon emissions or
simply just reduce weight to increase cargo or passenger capacity.

It won't be simple – there's a ton of work to be done yet on green hydrogen
production, transport and logistics, not to mention developing these tanks
and aircraft fuel cells to the point where they're airworthy, certified and
well-enough tested to be considered a no-brainer. But with these kinds of
numbers on the table as carrots, and the aviation sector's enormous
emissions profile acting as a stick, these tanks should surely get a chance
to prove themselves.

Source: HyPoint/GTL:
https://www.newswire.com/news/hypoint-dramatically-extends-zero-emission-hydrogen-flight-range-with-21669919

Larry Dighera <LDighera@att.net> wrote:
>
> https://newatlas.com/aircraft/hypoint-gtl-lightweight-liquid-hydrogen-tank/
>
> Ultra-light liquid hydrogen tanks promise to make jet fuel obsolete

It'll be a hot, hot time in Lakehurst, New Jersey,
When the Hindenburg lands today.
Well, the band will start to play,
and the people will shout "hooray"!
When the Hindenberg lands today...yay! yay!
All the way from Germany coming to us,
We know your motto is "to Jersey or Bust"!
There'll be a hot, hot time in Kakehurst, New Jersey,
When the Hindenburg lands today!

On 22/04/2022 9:53 am, Jim Pennino wrote:
> Larry Dighera <LDighera@att.net> wrote:
>>
>> https://newatlas.com/aircraft/hypoint-gtl-lightweight-liquid-hydrogen-tank/
>>
>> Ultra-light liquid hydrogen tanks promise to make jet fuel obsolete
>
> It'll be a hot, hot time in Lakehurst, New Jersey,
> When the Hindenburg lands today.
> Well, the band will start to play,
> and the people will shout "hooray"!
> When the Hindenberg lands today...yay! yay!
> All the way from Germany coming to us,
> We know your motto is "to Jersey or Bust"!
> There'll be a hot, hot time in Kakehurst, New Jersey,
> When the Hindenburg lands today!
>
Yup.
Nutters never learn

George Black <gblack@hnpl.net> writes:

> On 22/04/2022 9:53 am, Jim Pennino wrote:
>> Larry Dighera <LDighera@att.net> wrote:
>>>
>>> https://newatlas.com/aircraft/hypoint-gtl-lightweight-liquid-hydrogen-tank/
>>>
>>> Ultra-light liquid hydrogen tanks promise to make jet fuel obsolete
>>
>> It'll be a hot, hot time in Lakehurst, New Jersey,
>> When the Hindenburg lands today.
>> Well, the band will start to play,
>> and the people will shout "hooray"!
>> When the Hindenberg lands today...yay! yay!
>> All the way from Germany coming to us,
>> We know your motto is "to Jersey or Bust"!
>> There'll be a hot, hot time in Kakehurst, New Jersey,
>> When the Hindenburg lands today!
>>
> Yup.
> Nutters never learn

I can't imagine this technology working with mass passenger
aircraft. Simply creating a system that won't leak is a struggle in
autos - I can't imagine it working very well.

Daniel <me@scifidan.com> wrote:
> George Black <gblack@hnpl.net> writes:
>
>> On 22/04/2022 9:53 am, Jim Pennino wrote:
>>> Larry Dighera <LDighera@att.net> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> https://newatlas.com/aircraft/hypoint-gtl-lightweight-liquid-hydrogen-tank/
>>>>
>>>> Ultra-light liquid hydrogen tanks promise to make jet fuel obsolete
>>>
>>> It'll be a hot, hot time in Lakehurst, New Jersey,
>>> When the Hindenburg lands today.
>>> Well, the band will start to play,
>>> and the people will shout "hooray"!
>>> When the Hindenberg lands today...yay! yay!
>>> All the way from Germany coming to us,
>>> We know your motto is "to Jersey or Bust"!
>>> There'll be a hot, hot time in Kakehurst, New Jersey,
>>> When the Hindenburg lands today!
>>>
>> Yup.
>> Nutters never learn
>
> I can't imagine this technology working with mass passenger
> aircraft. Simply creating a system that won't leak is a struggle in
> autos - I can't imagine it working very well.

It seems to be the same for the Artemis Moon rocket...

On Fri, 14 Oct 2022 13:02:14 +0000, Daniel <me@scifidan.com> wrote:

>George Black <gblack@hnpl.net> writes:
>
>> On 22/04/2022 9:53 am, Jim Pennino wrote:
>>> Larry Dighera <LDighera@att.net> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> https://newatlas.com/aircraft/hypoint-gtl-lightweight-liquid-hydrogen-tank/
>>>>
>>>> Ultra-light liquid hydrogen tanks promise to make jet fuel obsolete
>>>
>>> It'll be a hot, hot time in Lakehurst, New Jersey,
>>> When the Hindenburg lands today.
>>> Well, the band will start to play,
>>> and the people will shout "hooray"!
>>> When the Hindenberg lands today...yay! yay!
>>> All the way from Germany coming to us,
>>> We know your motto is "to Jersey or Bust"!
>>> There'll be a hot, hot time in Kakehurst, New Jersey,
>>> When the Hindenburg lands today!
>>>
>> Yup.
>> Nutters never learn
>
>I can't imagine this technology working with mass passenger
>aircraft. Simply creating a system that won't leak is a struggle in
>autos - I can't imagine it working very well.

Here's an interesting scientific fact: Graphene is impermeable to gases.
https://www.graphene.manchester.ac.uk/learn/applications/membranes/

Larry Dighera <LDighera@att.net> wrote:
> On Fri, 14 Oct 2022 13:02:14 +0000, Daniel <me@scifidan.com> wrote:
>
>>George Black <gblack@hnpl.net> writes:
>>
>>> On 22/04/2022 9:53 am, Jim Pennino wrote:
>>>> Larry Dighera <LDighera@att.net> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> https://newatlas.com/aircraft/hypoint-gtl-lightweight-liquid-hydrogen-tank/
>>>>>
>>>>> Ultra-light liquid hydrogen tanks promise to make jet fuel obsolete
>>>>
>>>> It'll be a hot, hot time in Lakehurst, New Jersey,
>>>> When the Hindenburg lands today.
>>>> Well, the band will start to play,
>>>> and the people will shout "hooray"!
>>>> When the Hindenberg lands today...yay! yay!
>>>> All the way from Germany coming to us,
>>>> We know your motto is "to Jersey or Bust"!
>>>> There'll be a hot, hot time in Kakehurst, New Jersey,
>>>> When the Hindenburg lands today!
>>>>
>>> Yup.
>>> Nutters never learn
>>
>>I can't imagine this technology working with mass passenger
>>aircraft. Simply creating a system that won't leak is a struggle in
>>autos - I can't imagine it working very well.
>
> Here's an interesting scientific fact: Graphene is impermeable to gases.
> https://www.graphene.manchester.ac.uk/learn/applications/membranes/

Too bad no one can make bulk graphene, but any day now, just like
fusion power.

Not that this has anything to do with hydrogen, as graphene is NOT
impermeable to hydrogen.

https://physicstoday.scitation.org/do/10.1063/pt.6.1.20200330a/full/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000862232100244X

On Sat, 15 Oct 2022 08:49:18 -0700, Jim Pennino <jimp@gonzo.specsol.net>
wrote:

>Larry Dighera <LDighera@att.net> wrote:
>> On Fri, 14 Oct 2022 13:02:14 +0000, Daniel <me@scifidan.com> wrote:
>>
>>>George Black <gblack@hnpl.net> writes:
>>>
>>>I can't imagine this technology working with mass passenger
>>>aircraft. Simply creating a system that won't leak is a struggle in
>>>autos - I can't imagine it working very well.
>>
>> Here's an interesting scientific fact: Graphene is impermeable to gases.
>> https://www.graphene.manchester.ac.uk/learn/applications/membranes/
>
>Too bad no one can make bulk graphene, but any day now, just like
>fusion power.
>
>Not that this has anything to do with hydrogen, as graphene is NOT
>impermeable to hydrogen.
>
>https://physicstoday.scitation.org/do/10.1063/pt.6.1.20200330a/full/
>
>https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000862232100244X
>

Thank you for providing the links to the research papers, Jim.

I was unaware of grapheme's experimentally demonstrated H2 permeability.

I wonder if LH2 would exhibit the same grapheme permeability phenomenon?

It would seem that NASA and others are successful in containing LH2:
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/12/4357/pdf

Below is information on other means of generating H2.

===============================================================================
Generate Hydrogen From Water Without Electricity

https://news.ucsc.edu/2022/02/hydrogen-production.html

Easy aluminum nanoparticles for rapid, efficient hydrogen generation from
water

UCSC chemists developed a simple method to make aluminum nanoparticles that
split water and generate hydrogen gas rapidly under ambient conditions

February 18, 2022

By Tim Stephens
bubbles-450.jpg
Bubbles of hydrogen gas are generated from the reaction of water with an
aluminum-gallium composite. Movies of the reaction are available online.
(Credit: Amberchan et al., Applied Nano Materials 2022)
nanoparticles-400.jpg
Scanning electron microscopy of the composite shows aluminum nanoparticles
in a matrix of gallium. (Credit: Amberchan et al., Applied Nano Materials
2022)

Aluminum is a highly reactive metal that can strip oxygen from water
molecules to generate hydrogen gas. Its widespread use in products that get
wet poses no danger because aluminum instantly reacts with air to acquire a
coating of aluminum oxide, which blocks further reactions.

For years, researchers have tried to find efficient and cost-effective ways
to use aluminum’s reactivity to generate clean hydrogen fuel. A new study by
researchers at UC Santa Cruz shows that an easily produced composite of
gallium and aluminum creates aluminum nanoparticles that react rapidly with
water at room temperature to yield large amounts of hydrogen. The gallium
was easily recovered for reuse after the reaction, which yields 90% of the
hydrogen that could theoretically be produced from reaction of all the
aluminum in the composite.

“We don’t need any energy input, and it bubbles hydrogen like crazy. I’ve
never seen anything like it,” said UCSC Chemistry Professor Scott Oliver.

Oliver and Bakthan Singaram, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, are
corresponding authors of a paper on the new findings, published February 14
in Applied Nano Materials.

The reaction of aluminum and gallium with water has been known since the
1970s, and videos of it are easy to find online. It works because gallium, a
liquid at just above room temperature, removes the passive aluminum oxide
coating, allowing direct contact of aluminum with water. The new study,
however, includes several innovations and novel findings that could lead to
practical applications.

A U.S. patent application is pending on this technology. The international
(PCT) filing on which it was based is linked here.

Singaram said the study grew out of a conversation he had with a student,
coauthor Isai Lopez, who had seen some videos and started experimenting with
aluminum-gallium hydrogen generation in his home kitchen.

“He wasn’t doing it in a scientific way, so I set him up with a graduate
student to do a systematic study. I thought it would make a good senior
thesis for him to measure the hydrogen output from different ratios of
gallium and aluminum,” Singaram said.

Previous studies had mostly used aluminum-rich mixtures of aluminum and
gallium, or in some cases more complex alloys. But Singaram’s lab found that
hydrogen production increased with a gallium-rich composite. In fact, the
rate of hydrogen production was so unexpectedly high the researchers thought
there must be something fundamentally different about this gallium-rich
alloy.

Oliver suggested that the formation of aluminum nanoparticles could account
for the increased hydrogen production, and his lab had the equipment needed
for nanoscale characterization of the alloy. Using scanning electron
microscopy and x-ray diffraction, the researchers showed the formation of
aluminum nanoparticles in a 3:1 gallium-aluminum composite, which they found
to be the optimal ratio for hydrogen production.

In this gallium-rich composite, the gallium serves both to dissolve the
aluminum oxide coating and to separate the aluminum into nanoparticles. “The
gallium separates the nanoparticles and keeps them from aggregating into
larger particles,” Singaram said. “People have struggled to make aluminum
nanoparticles, and here we are producing them under normal atmospheric
pressure and room temperature conditions.”

Making the composite required nothing more than simple manual mixing.

“Our method uses a small amount of aluminum, which ensures it all dissolves
into the majority gallium as discrete nanoparticles,” Oliver said. “This
generates a much larger amount of hydrogen, almost complete compared to the
theoretical value based on the amount of aluminum. It also makes gallium
recovery easier for reuse.”

The composite can be made with readily available sources of aluminum,
including used foil or cans, and the composite can be stored for long
periods by covering it with cyclohexane to protect it from moisture.

Although gallium is not abundant and is relatively expensive, it can be
recovered and reused multiple times without losing effectiveness, Singaram
said. It remains to be seen, however, if this process can be scaled up to be
practical for commercial hydrogen production.

First author Gabriella Amberchan is graduate student in Singaram’s lab.
Other coauthors of the paper include Beatriz Ehlke, Jeremy Barnett, Neo Bao,
and A’Lester Allen, all at UCSC. This work was partially supported by funds
from the Ima Hernandez Foundation.
===========================================================================

===========================================================================
https://newatlas.com/energy/direct-air-electrolyzer-hydrogen-humidity/

World's first direct air electrolyzer makes hydrogen from humidity
By Loz Blain
September 14, 2022

Melbourne University researchers have tested a "direct air electrolyzer"
that can pull hydrogen straight out of the air using ambient humidity,
meaning it's possible to create green hydrogen nearly anywhere on the
planet, regardless of fresh water supplies

Melbourne University researchers have tested a "direct air electrolyzer"
that can pull hydrogen straight out of the air using ambient humidity,
meaning it's possible to create green hydrogen nearly anywhere on the
planet, regardless of fresh water supplies

University of Melbourne
View 2 Images

Australian researchers have developed and tested a way to electrolyze
hydrogen straight out of the air, anywhere on Earth, without requiring any
other fresh water source. The Direct Air Electrolyzer (DAE) absorbs and
converts atmospheric moisture – even down to a "bone-dry" 4% humidity.

Such a machine could be particularly relevant to a country like Australia,
which has ambitions as a clean energy exporter, along with enormous solar
energy potential – but also widespread drought conditions and limited access
to clean water. Decoupling hydrogen production from the need for a water
supply could allow green hydrogen to be produced more or less anywhere you
can ship it out from – and since water scarcity and solar potential often go
hand in hand, this could prove a boon for much of Africa, Asia, India and
the Middle East, too.

Chemical engineers at Melbourne University came up with what they describe
as a simple design: an electrolyzer with two flat plates acting as anode and
cathode. Sandwiched between the two plates is a porous material – melamine
sponge, for example, or sintered glass foam. This medium is soaked in a
hygroscopic ionic solution – a chemical that can absorb moisture from the
air spontaneously.

Hook it up to an energy source, expose it to the air, and hydrogen starts
being released at the cathode, and oxygen at the anode, simple as that. The
researchers believe this is the first time hydrogen has been pulled directly
from the air, and note that it works down to 4% humidity, where even dry
areas in Australia's Red Centre, such as Alice Springs, tend to have around
20% humidity.
Left: the team ran a small-scale prototype over the course of several days.
Right: the simple structure of the electrolyzer
Left: the team ran a small-scale prototype over the course of several days.
Right: the simple structure of the electrolyzerUniversity of Melbourne

Larry Dighera <LDighera@att.net> wrote:
> On Sat, 15 Oct 2022 08:49:18 -0700, Jim Pennino <jimp@gonzo.specsol.net>
> wrote:
>
>>Larry Dighera <LDighera@att.net> wrote:
>>> On Fri, 14 Oct 2022 13:02:14 +0000, Daniel <me@scifidan.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>>George Black <gblack@hnpl.net> writes:
>>>>
>>>>I can't imagine this technology working with mass passenger
>>>>aircraft. Simply creating a system that won't leak is a struggle in
>>>>autos - I can't imagine it working very well.
>>>
>>> Here's an interesting scientific fact: Graphene is impermeable to gases.
>>> https://www.graphene.manchester.ac.uk/learn/applications/membranes/
>>
>>Too bad no one can make bulk graphene, but any day now, just like
>>fusion power.
>>
>>Not that this has anything to do with hydrogen, as graphene is NOT
>>impermeable to hydrogen.
>>
>>https://physicstoday.scitation.org/do/10.1063/pt.6.1.20200330a/full/
>>
>>https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000862232100244X
>>
>
>
> Thank you for providing the links to the research papers, Jim.
>
> I was unaware of grapheme's experimentally demonstrated H2 permeability.
>
> I wonder if LH2 would exhibit the same grapheme permeability phenomenon?

What does it really matter when we can not make bulk graphene?

Graphene is just short of unobtainium, the magic material that solves
all problems if you could just somehow get it.

>
> It would seem that NASA and others are successful in containing LH2:
> https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/12/4357/pdf

As the Artemis launch has now been delayed several times due to hydrogen
leaks, I would say that NASA and others have been marginally successful
in containing hydrogen.

> Below is information on other means of generating H2.

<snip horrendously stuff about generating hydrogen>

It doesn't matter much how you generate it, you still have to safely
contain it and that remains a major obstacle.

<snip horrendously long stuff about generating hydrogen>