Omni Tanker collaborate on world-leading liquid storage project

Omni Tanker, the Australian specialty composites manufacturer known for their tanker innovations, has developed what’s claimed to be a world-leading solution for the transport of cryogenic and liquid cargoes of hydrogen and helium. The project saw Omni Tanker partner with aerospace giant Lockheed Martin and the University of New South Wales (UNSW), while the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) provided support.

Two years in the making, the project paired Omni Tanker’s capabilities with Lockheed Martin’s extensive aerospace experience to develop and manufacture two new tanks including:

•  Type 4, fluoropolymer-lined, carbon fibre composite tank
•  Type 5, liner-less, carbon fibre composite tank.

The tanks can store and transport liquid hydrogen, as well as oxygen, hydrogen peroxide and hydrazine at high pressures under extreme cryogenic temperatures.

Project participants identified a new application for Omni Tanker’s existing OmniBIND solution which links an interior thermoplastic tank to a lightweight composite exterior tank. The use of a nanoengineered additive product, developed by UNSW, prevented the matrix cracks that are usually present at extremely low temperatures in pressure vessels storing liquefied hydrogen.

In testing, the tanks achieved their performance metrics, particularly when materials were exposed to cryogenic temperatures as low as minus 269 degrees Celsius.

“The collaborative efforts with Omni Tanker and Lockheed Martin have been pivotal in transforming this cutting-edge technology into practical commercial applications”, said UNSW’s Scientia Professor Chun Wang. “We now have composite structures that can withstand the extreme cold of liquid hydrogen without experiencing microcracking or hydrogen gas leak.”

As a result of this successful project, operational-scale demonstrator versions of the tanks for Lockheed Martin’s LM2100 satellite have been manufactured at Omni Tanker's manufacturing facility in Sydney’s west.

Dr Daniel Rodgers, Omni Tanker founder and CEO, said the $1.59 million project (of which, $700K was provided by the AMGC) has taken the company to new heights – literally!

“By leveraging Omni Tanker’s capabilities, we have been able to translate our composite road tanker technology to the global space sector – where performance, weight and cost are of paramount importance,” Rodgers explained.

“Omni Tanker can develop and deliver composite pressure vessels to meet demanding technical requirements quicker and at a lower cost than exotic materials, such as titanium, which are widely used in the space sector.”

This latest project builds upon Omni Tanker’s expansive composite capabilities developed across its industrial transport portfolio. The company is currently a global leader in the manufacture of lightweight, composite road tankers for caustic materials. Used and sold locally, Omni Tanker tanks are also being exported to Europe and North America.

Dr Jens Goennemann, Managing Director of AMGC, said the composite tank project demonstrates how important it is for manufacturers to look beyond their current businesses.

“With the assistance of AMGC, Omni Tanker has done what more manufacturers should do: seek ways to leverage their capabilities across adjacent opportunities, in this case moving from road tankers to spacecraft. It’s generally not rocket science – except in this case it is!”