Thecompany is currently developing a high-pressure hydrogen tank using alightweight carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) with good heat resistance.This tank is intended for use in hydrogen stations. It should be market readywithin three to four years. |
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The tank price makes it easy to produce forprivate companies with a limited budget. The current production cost is about20 400 euros (2.5 million yen) per tank. In the future, it will be reduced to 8000 euros (1 million yen) or even less by reducing the material procurementcosts. In the current price range, most hydrogen stations are in the red andare no longer maintained. The CFRP reinforced tank weighs about 1ton. It is lighter than conventional thick metal products (5 to 10 tons) thatcan withstand pressure and are suitable for transportation. In addition tohydrogen stations, there is a demand for hydrogen cars. A 60-litre tank for hydrogen cars is underdevelopment. This tank is manufactured by wrapping CFRP around an aluminiumalloy container and reinforcing it. The material selection and manufacturingprocess have already been completed. The next development step is to test itsdurability. To do this, pressure will be applied from the inside until thecontainer ruptures in order to identify the location of the damage. Hydrogen tanks are being developedthroughout the world and in Japan, Japan Steel Works’ Muroran plant in HokkaidoIslands is developing and selling them. Kawatex is one of the rare SMEs thathave the know-how to process materials such as iron and FRP in large volumes,and it will gain a competitive advantage in the market. It can also supplytanks for converting gas stations to hydrogen stations. |