SPECIAL TOPIC: HYDROGEN
CB & I and Shell Demonstrate Liquid Hydrogen Storage Tank at NASA
CB & I and a consortium including Shell International Exploration and Production, Inc.( Shell), a subsidiary of Shell plc, GenH2 and the University of Houston have announced the completion of a first-of-its-kind, affordable, large-scale liquid hydrogen( LH2) storage tank concept at NASA’ s Marshall Space Flight Center( MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, that will enable international import and export applications.
By CB & I
“ Our collaboration with this worldclass project team will help provide a path to low-cost, large-scale liquid hydrogen storage,” said Mark Butts, President & CEO of CB & I.“ We are proud to leverage our six decades of experience with cryogenic insulation and storage to advance innovative solutions for the energy transition market.”
The project, which began in 2021 and is supported by the US Department of Energy( DOE), developed a novel non-vacuum tank design concept for large-scale( up to 100,000 cubic meters) storage of LH2 that is anticipated to provide a substantial cost advantage over conventional vacuum insulated tanks. This concept is being demonstrated through the construction, startup and testing of a small-scale LH2 demonstration tank at NASA MSFC.
“ At Shell, we believe in the power of collaboration to advance technology and scale up innovative solutions,” said Theo Bodewes, General Manager, Hydrogen Technology.“ With the invaluable support from the DOE, this project demonstrates how experts from industry, academia, and government can solve complex technology challenges. This novel liquid hydrogen technology promises to be more competitive, reducing costs and accelerating large-scale storage commercialization.”
Ongoing Testing
The demonstration tank will significantly increase the MSFC hydrogen test facility’ s LH2 storage capacity and be used to characterize the behavior of materials under cryogenic conditions, mimicking normal fill and empty cycles and testing non-vacuum insulation materials. In addition to an estimated six-month test period included in the project scope, a Space Act Agreement among the partner organizations provides for MSFC’ s use of the tank over a five-year period, during which CB & I and Shell will continue to test new insulation technologies under non-vacuum conditions.
“ We take pride in participating in this industry collaboration to advance commercial liquid hydrogen storage
24 FUGITIVE EMISSIONS JOURNAL • JUNE 2025