CB&I, in collaboration with Shell International Exploration and Production Inc., GenH2, and the University of Houston, has jointly announced the successful development of the first cost-effective, large-scale liquid hydrogen storage tank concept. Developed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, the concept is designed to support international import and export of liquid hydrogen.
Launched in 2021 with support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the project introduces a novel non-vacuum insulated tank design for large-scale liquid hydrogen storage—capable of holding up to 100,000 cubic meters—which offers significant cost advantages over traditional vacuum-insulated tanks. The concept is currently being validated at MSFC through the construction, commissioning, and testing of a scaled-down liquid hydrogen tank.
This demonstration tank will substantially expand the hydrogen storage capacity of MSFC’s cryogenic testing facilities and serve as a platform to study material behavior under cryogenic conditions. In addition to a six-month testing campaign, a Space Act Agreement among the project partners allows MSFC to utilize the tank for up to five years. CB&I and Shell will continue to develop and test new insulation technologies as part of the ongoing collaboration.
