Design and Transportation Economics Analysis of a Cryogenic High-Pressure Hydrogen Storage System Based on a Liquid Nitrogen Cold Shield
This study addresses the technical bottlenecks of low efficiency and high cost in hydrogen storage and transportation by proposing a cryogenic high-pressure hydrogen storage system integrated with a liquid nitrogen cold shield composite insulation. Optimized for a standard 40-foot (approximately 12.2 m) tank container, the system achieves a hydrogen storage capacity of 999.68 kg with a volumetric efficiency of 64 kg/m³, tripling the payload of conventional high-pressure tube trailers. Through hexagonal tube bundle topology optimization, a 200 mm diameter tube bundle is identified as the optimal configuration. The system employs a liquid nitrogen cold shield (static evaporation rate 0.25%/d) combined with high-vacuum multilayer insulation, enabling a lossless hydrogen storage period of 118 days. A point-to-point transportation cost model quantifies that, for transport distances of 200–800 km and scales of 500–1500 kg/d, the unit transportation cost is reduced by 73.2% compared to high-pressure tube trailers and saves 54.2% in initial investment relative to liquid hydrogen tankers. The system offers a cost-effective storage and transportation solution for medium-scale, medium-to-long-distance hydrogen delivery, particularly for hydrogen metallurgy and off-grid hydrogen production scenarios.