Cryoshelter’s 2nd-Gen LNG Tanks Move to Market
Cryoshelter GmbH, an Austrian-based LNG technology company, is ready to introduce its revolutionary Second Generation LNG (liquefied natural gas) tank for heavy duty trucks following UNECE certification in the 4th quarter of 2016. The Second Generation tank reduces the overall total cost of ownership (TCO) by providing benefits and options that address the key performance factors for truck fleet operators beyond other available LNG tanks.
Second Generation tank is certified
The Cryoshelter tank has been certified to the UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) Regulation 110 (R110), which is the premier international regulation used in over 50 countries that specifies safety and quality requirements for components and their installation on vehicles propelled by natural gas (compressed or liquefied).
Apart from demonstrating maximum safety of the tank system by passing the various drop tests and bonfire test, certification to R110 assures full and reliable quality assurance all along the manufacturing supply chain, which also includes certification to ISO-9001. Additional durability and functional testing also has been done and is ongoing, as required by truck manufacturers to meet their rigorous specifications beyond R110. The pathway to certification was supported by a €1.7 million grant from the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 program.
Having completed the last step in the pre-commercialization certification process Cryoshelter now will ramp up its industrialization efforts, focusing on the retrofit LNG truck market while continuing to address the truck manufacturers in Europe. Cryoshelter says the new tank will transform the commercial prospects of LNG as a fuel alternative to diesel in Europe, North America and elsewhere.
Expressing his vision for the company’s future, Dr. Matthias Rebernik, Cryoshelter CEO said, “We are excited about the breadth and volume of the interest already shown by truck manufacturers and fleet operators in the innovative Cryoshelter LNG tank. Ultimately, we will bring our Second Generation LNG storage system to a wide variety of transportation customers worldwide who are adopting clean burning liquefied natural gas as a propulsion fuel. As the market expands Cryoshelter will continue to work on additional technical enhancements to the tank system to meet the needs of the truck industry.”
System Characteristics
The Cryoshelter cryogenic thermal insulation system increases fuel capacity by reducing the thickness of the insulation gap while matching the thermal performance of today’s state-of-the-art superinsulation systems. It relies on two key innovations built into the vacuum space in between the cryogenic inner tank and the surrounding outer vacuum shell:
An Inner Tank Support (ITS) (patents pending), the structural connection between the inner tank and the outer shell, dramatically lowers the heat losses while improving the load bearing capacity by its innovative design and location – the outer circumference at the ends of the tank giving Cryoshelter tanks their distinctive flat-end look. The efficiency of the ITS allows the use of the same modular parts so tanks can be built to specification for a wide range of different sizes – from 270 to 750 liters (70 to 200 gal).
Cryoshelter Shield Technology, provides ten times the specific reflective thermal insulation capacity as multi-layer-insulation technologies used in current state-of-the-art LNG tanks. The shield technology’s patented suspension system reduces the insulation gap, which in turn increases the fuel capacity up to 20%. The overall efficiency of Cryoshelter’s thermal insulation systems leaves enough space to further improve the insulation performance for extended hold time options – keeping the fuel cold longer without increasing the insulation gap.
Cryoshelter conveniently places the manifold housing – fuel connector, safety valves, etc. – on the side of the tank instead of at the end to provide user-friendly operation and maintenance. Moving the valves and controls from the end of the tank contributes up to 10% additional fuel capacity.
Cryoshelter says the Second Generation tank innovations address the most critical economic, technical and operational concerns of the heavy duty truck customers:
The largest fuel capacity within a given frame space– adding up to 30% more fuel on board — thus providing extended range beyond that of existing LNG tanks.
The Shield Technology increases hold time to more than double the 5-day statutory requirement for ‘hold time’ prior to venting. This provides worry-free operational flexibility in the daily and weekly scheduling of each LNG truck in the fleet and virtually eliminates venting for a broad range of applications.
User-friendly controls for intuitive operation
Flexibility in the placement of the manifold housing on the tank. Customers can choose the position of the housing to perfectly fit into their truck’s configurations for optimized every day operation.
https://www.ngvglobal.com/blog/cryoshelters-2nd-gen-lng-tanks-move-to-market-0310