Worthington Industries launches new hydrogen gas cylinder

Worthington Industries, Inc, an American diversified industrial metals manufacturing company, has launched a new hydrogen cylinder brand that is customised for hydrogen fuel using the company aerospace-grade standards. The company describe these cylinders to be well suited for storing and shipment of hydrogen.

The new developed ThermaGuard™ hydrogen cylinders are also believed to serve the industry with numerous benefits, making it cost-effective and efficient.

Temperature is one of the major concerns when it comes to storing hydrogen. These cylinders are made of high-grade composite materials with higher temperature rating and an aluminium liner that can be operated at 250 F (121 C) temperature, cutting various pre-chilling and cylinder replacement barriers. The company said that the older composite designs are operating at 185 F (85 C), risking overheating and so require pre-chilling of hydrogen which is expensive.

The class 8 trucks and buses installed with these cylinders can be filled within 10 minutes compared to those with chilling requirements, which may take three times more time. The pre-chilling stage increases the dispensed cost of hydrogen between US$ 0.22 – US$ 2.00/kg depending on the filling parameters.

“These cylinders will provide sustainable vehicle powertrain and infrastructure developers new opportunities to unlock savings within the hydrogen supply chain,” said John McConnell, the company director for North American High-Pressure Cylinders.

Depending on the filling stations operations, the filling equipment can incur a capital cost of US$ 250k – US$ 500k. ThermaGuard hydrogen cylinders are claimed to cut intermediary capital cost. They also meet SAE J2601 objectives and have service pressures ranging from 248–700 bar (3,600–10,150 psi).

The company also produce hydrogen tanks for fuel cell and IC engine storage as well. It produced one of the first hydrogen fuel tanks in the 70s which was installed on a Dodge pickup truck.