TAGS: Polymer Reinforcement
With the help of OCSiAl’s graphene nanotubes (also known as single wall carbon nanotubes), engineers at the innovative company Techplast have found a way to reduce the weight of high-pressure cylinders. This will make rescue workers’ activity more comfortable and faster by providing them with the lightest cylinders in the world.
Improving Impact Resistance
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Graphene nanotubes introduced in composite reinforcement bring improvements in interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) leading to an increase in burst pressure level by up to 30%, according to the results of cylinder impact tests,” said Piotr Saferna, R&D leader of Techplast.
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This incredible improvement in impact resistance has allowed us to reduce the weight of the cylinder while maintaining the mechanical properties, which results in the lightest 6.8 liters cylinder in the world for 300 bars of working pressure. The total mass of our SAFERnano cylinder, including all protective attachments and coatings, is less than 2.8 kg. This new generation of cylinders achieves a weight reduction of up to 75% compared with competing solutions, and of 15% compared with our previous generation of products,” Saferna continued.
Cylinders Fully Compliant with International Safety Standards
The R&D team at Techplast worked for three years to create the lightest cylinder in the world, which was achieved with the use of OCSiAl’s
TUBALL graphene nanotubes. This new generation of cylinders is available on the global market, with recently completed TÜV certification confirming full compliance with international safety standards for storage of various gases, including air, oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide.
In addition to the current applications in the fire rescue and emergency industry, this innovation has prospective uses in
lightweight automotive onboard hydrogen storage that could boost the development of hydrogen fuel cell cars, which are considered to be one of the promising ways to reduce the carbon footprint. Lighter nanomodified cylinders with capacities up to 350 liters could be used as a new generation of pressure tanks for storing hydrogen to power vehicles, resulting in reduced fuel and energy consumption.
Source: OCSiAl