It has been more than a year since FIBA Technologies announced the investment of several million dollars in the expansion of its manufacturing facilities, with the installation of new equipment and the addition of personnel to its skilled production workforce. As a leading manufacturer of high-pressure gas storage and transportation vessels, FIBA’s investment program now continues apace and many of the benefits are seen in its production of hydrogen pressure vessels.
As we have seen, the demand for hydrogen pressure vessels – and the very many other types of vessel required in myriad sectors – continues to grow globally, so FIBA’s commitment to investment in leading edge technology is as much a response to that current and predicted demand.
The results of this investment can be seen across all of FIBA’s sites, not just at its Littleton, Massachusetts headquarters.
With an ambition to double its production capacity, in order to meet the demand for pressure vessels for hydrogen storage and equipment such as HCL tube trailers for the electronics sector, FIBA continues to lead the way.
Setting the Benchmark in Hydrogen Pressure Vessels
FIBA is at the heart of the global hydrogen sector and its expert technical team is acknowledged as leading the way in the development of more efficient storage and transportation of the gas.
Of course, hydrogen is the lightest, most abundant chemical element in the universe: it constitutes around 75% of all normal matter. A colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, and highly combustible gas, it mainly in a molecular form such as organic compounds and water. The hydrogen molecule is the smallest known, so this means that the safe storage and transportation of hydrogen can be challenging.
As hydrogen is stored at high pressure – typically up to 15,000 PSI (about 1,000 Bar) – the hydrogen pressure vessels FIBA designs and manufactures have an acceptable rate of permeability: no hydrogen pressure vessel can be totally impermeable to leakage. With this in mind, FIBA has developed a unique sealing surface between the vessel’s bullplug and the pressure vessel itself. This means that FIBA’s hydrogen pressure vessels have a permeability and leak level far below industry accepted levels.
FIBA’s hydrogen pressure vessels are manufactured to designs that are governed by strict safety regulations, due to the fact that hydrogen is a highly combustible gas. The pressure vessels themselves are typically constructed of high-strength steel or composite materials, and are equipped with safety features to prevent leaks or ruptures.
Built into the design are other critical factors over and above the storage pressure, including the temperature at which the vessel will be used, the maximum amount of hydrogen that the vessel will hold and the number of times the hydrogen pressure vessel is fully emptied and then refilled.