Australian-based Provaris Energy has started fabrication of a prototype 250 bar hydrogen storage tank that it plans to use on its future carrier vessels.

Having started the process from its European site in Fiskå, Norway, the H2Neo tank will use Provaris’ layered carbon steel and stainless steel liner design. With dimensions of 2.5m in diameter and 9m in length, it will hold 650kg of hydrogen at 250 barg.

Once built, testing will confirm the full-scale tank design by storing hydrogen through fatigue and over pressurisation tests that the company says will represent 25 years of operations.

The full-scale H2Neo tank is planned to storage 430 tonnes of compressed hydrogen onboard vessels for long transportation.

Provaris has said its own study revealed using compressed hydrogen for storage and transportation uses 20% less energy than liquefaction and over 40% less than ammonia. The firm claimed compression delivered up to a 20% reduction for regional delivered costs at 2,000 nautical miles and 100,000 tonnes per year.