During Auto Expo 2023, January 12 -15, 2023, held at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, India, our material experts welcomed many customers to the Envalior, formally Envalior,’ booth to discuss future technologies, such as hydrogen pressure vessels, hydrogen fuel cells, lightweighting, and sustainability. If you were not able to visit Auto Expo 2023, we had a virtual booth for visitors to explore our latest automotive material innovations.
“After a break of three years, we were excited to exhibit at Auto Expo 2023, which is an excellent platform to showcase our innovations and discuss with customers the solutions Envalior has to offer,” said Nilesh Kukalyekar, Regional Commercial Director, India and Middle East at Envalior. “The concept of EVs and hydrogen fuel tanks, along with Envalior's solutions in chargers and battery holders made of lightweight and sustainable materials drew the utmost attention. We are extremely thrilled with all the responses we received from customers.”
New material grades for Type IV hydrogen pressure vessels
Lightweighting was a hot topic of conversation at our in-person booth because it continues to be a priority for automotive OEMs. Showcased at both in-person and virtual booths was an application of new Akulon® Fuel Lock material grades in Type IV pressure vessels for hydrogen storage. By adding these new materials, a more robust performance in processing and more resiliency in larger sized designs that are sustainable is possible for tank and pressure vessel manufacturers.
With these two new materials solutions—FLX40-HP and FLX-LP—we are staying abreast of the trend of designing sustainable and larger sized pressure vessels for trucks and busses, and mobile hydrogen transport. The advanced PA6 is ideal for producing type IV pressure vessels that are 70% lighter than steel alternatives, and offer excellent mechanical strength, dimensional stability and impact resistance throughout part lifetimes.
Akulon Fuel Lock tank liners enhance vehicle safety and fuel efficiency by providing an excellent barrier that reduces permeation leakage of hydrogen from the pressure vessel. The Akulon Fuel Lock portfolio of nylon 6 materials all have a higher barrier than standard PA6, allowing for thinner walls in monolayer tanks.
Amongst the lowest in the industry, the polyamide used to make the Akulon® Fuel Lock compounds has the lowest CO2 footprint and contributes to an overall more favorable LCA in line with the intended green application of hydrogen use and storage as an alternative carbon free fuel in mobile transport.
You can read more about Akulon® Fuel Lock offering more robust performance in type IV pressure vessels for hydrogen storage here.
Also, at the Envalior booth, customers talked with us about the opportunity for materials solutions in hydrogen fuel cell systems. Showcased at the booth were fuel cell applications, including fuel cell insulation plates, a humidifier, ion exchanger, side plate, media manifold, bus bar, rectifier bridge and liner for hydrogen storage tanks.
