LeiWaCo project: Argo-Anleg meets with the project partners at JEC World 2023 in Paris. The aim is the series production of lightweight hydrogen containers. Argo-Anleg GmbH has been one of the project partners of the LeiWaCo project since November 2022. The innovative project focuses on the development of lightweight tanks for cryogenic hydrogen.
At the end of April, the project partners met at the renowned JEC World 2023 in Paris for an intensive exchange. Led by the Composite Technology Center (CTC), a subsidiary of Airbus, the LeiWaCo project aims to economically mass-produce thermoplastic composite pressure vessels for liquid hydrogen (LH2) in aviation and other transportation applications. Argo-Anleg GmbH is contributing its know-how and expertise in hydrogen technology to this pioneering project.
Dr. Pavel Novak, Managing Director of Argo-Anleg Tank Systems GmbH, describes the company’s goals and project components: “We are pursuing three ambitious scientific and technical goals: We want to optimize the numerical methods for cryogenic hydrogen tanks in order to minimize evaporation losses and improve pressure dynamics. In this context, we are researching the development of an injector that generates an optimal flow and turbulence effect. In addition, we are focusing on improving the numerical methods to analyze the removal of LH2 from the tank. Last but not least, as part of the project, we will hydraulically pressurize our developed tanks and test their H2 permeability using gas tests. At Argo-Anleg, we are determined to push the boundaries of what is possible and shape a sustainable future for the hydrogen industry.”
One of the biggest challenges in the development of cryogenic fiber composite tanks is the tightness, which is impaired by thermally induced microcracks in the fiber composite. The LeiWaCo project is pursuing an innovative approach: the use of thermoplastic materials in combination with thin-film technology. At JEC World 2023 in Paris, representatives of the consortium discussed the future development of lightweight tanks with fiber composites and the avoidance of temperature-induced microcracks. As a partner company in the project, Argo-Anleg GmbH is working together with numerous renowned companies to develop pioneering solutions for the storage of cryogenic hydrogen. The partners in the Germany-based consortium include
- AFPT (Dörth)
- ARGO-ANLEG (Wesel)
- CompriseTec (Hamburg)
- CTC Composite Technology Center (Stade)
- DLR – Institute SY (Stade)
- DLR – Institute RY (Bremen)
- eCap Marine (Hamburg)
- Fiber Institute Bremen e.V. (FIBRE, Bremen)
- University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW, Münchenstein, Switzerland)
- IDVA (Freiburg im Breisgau)
- Schunk (Lauffen am Neckar)
- Suprem (Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland)
- Teijin Carbon Europe (Wuppertal).
With its involvement in the LeiWaCo project, Argo Anleg GmbH is once again demonstrating its innovative strength and commitment to a sustainable future. By developing high-strength and cost-effective lightweight tanks for cryogenic hydrogen, Argo Anleg GmbH will help to drive forward the energy transition and make the transportation industry more sustainable. The LeiWaCo project runs until October 2025 and is financially supported by the BMWK (Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection). BMWi funding code: 03EI3071I
