World’s first liquefied hydrogen receiving terminal completed

Kawasaki built this terminal for the CO2-free Hydrogen Energy Supply-chain Technology Research Association (HySTRA). Operation testing has started at the facility, which will be used for a demonstration test, in a NEDO subsidized project, for an international hydrogen energy supply chain to transport liquefied hydrogen from Australia to Japan.

Kobe LH2 Terminal accommodates a 2,500 m3 volume spherical liquefied hydrogen storage tank with a capacity of 2,250 m3, as well as other equipment including a loading arm system specially designed for transferring liquefied hydrogen between land-based facilities and ships.

The storage tank enables stable, long-period storage of cryogenic liquefied hydrogen reduced to a temperature of -253°C and one eight-hundredth its initial volume.

The tank also features a double-shell vacuum-insulation structure, comprising inner and outer shells with a vacuum-sealed layer in between to prevent heat transfer from the outside. Additionally, it adopts a spherical design, which is the best shape for reducing heat transfer.

Furthermore, performance tests conducted for the Kobe LH2 Terminal tank confirmed high thermal insulation capability and functional stability.

Kawasaki will use liquefied hydrogen storage tank technologies developed through this project to pursue even larger-sized tanks in the future, with the aim of realizing the high-volume hydrogen transport technologies necessary to achieve a hydrogen society.