DSM developing novel materials solution for high-pressure composite tanks for hydrogen storage

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Royal DSM, a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials, has introduced a material solution for high-pressure composite tanks for hydrogen storage in its continuing mission to help reduce CO2 emissions, according to the company's press release.

Hydrogen tanks are the next step in fuel storage, as such storage is a key enabling technology for advancing hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in applications that include stationary power, portable power and transportation.

Hydrogen has the highest energy per mass of any fuel. One kg of hydrogen is equivalent to 33.3 kWh, which means it delivers three times more energy than conventional fuel. But hydrogen’s low ambient temperature density results in a low energy per unit volume. This requires the development of advanced storage methods that have the potential for higher energy density.

DSM is working to apply its materials expertise to make safe, effective and very lightweight hydrogen tanks.

"We had already developed this technology for compressed natural gas (CNG) tanks, and now we are testing the same material and design principles for hydrogen tanks to meet the needs of the automotive industry," said Bert Keestra, Application Development Engineer at DSM.

The two-part tank design features a proven, blow molded liner made of Akulon Fuel Lock, a polyamide 6-based engineering plastic with a very high barrier to hydrocarbons. The tank can then potentially be further reinforced by wrapping it in unidirectional (UD) continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic tapes made of EcoPaXX polyamide 410. This combination of commercially available materials has already proven to be very effective in CNG tanks, and DSM is now actively testing the concept in hydrogen tanks.

The result would be the lightest-weight plastic tank available for hydrogen storage applications. Reducing weight is key, since every 10 kg removed from a vehicle roughly translates into a reduction in CO2 emissions from the vehicle on the road of one gram per km.

For the liner, Akulon Fuel Lock greatly reduces weight compared to metal. It also offers improved permeation versus polyolefin liners, meaning that the gas stays in the tank. The liner material, which is 100% recyclable, is safe with no debuckling.

Furthermore, the material is optimized to remain ductile and tough, even at extremely low temperatures (-40 C). This was important for CNG, but is even more vital for hydrogen storage, as the working pressures are much higher.

As MRC reported earlier, in July 2016, Royal DSM announced that it once again extended its range of ForTii high performance polyphthalamides based on polyamide 4T.

Royal DSM is a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials. DSM delivers innovative solutions that nourish, protect and improve performance in global markets such as food and dietary supplements, personal care, feed, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, automotive, paints, electrical and electronics, life protection, alternative energy and bio-based materials.
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MOSCOW (MRC) — Traders are shipping jet fuel from Europe to the United States, where Tropical Storm Harvey has sparked concern over possible shortages of the aviation fuel, said Reuters.

French oil major Total has booked the Maersk Misumi and Butterfly to load 37,000 t each of jet fuel in Europe in the coming two weeks for transatlantic transportation, shipping reports showed. Total also has a provisional booking of the Seaways Alcmar to load 37,000 t of jet fuel in Malta on Sept. 4, with delivery options to the US Gulf or US Atlantic Coast.

Royal Dutch Shell and other traders were also seeking tankers along the route, traders and ship brokers said. "Everyone seems to be very busy trying to find cargoes and ships to move across the pond," one European jet fuel broker said.

The United States is usually a jet fuel exporter to Europe, which also relies on imports from Asia Pacific and the Middle East to meet demand. About 4.4 MMbbl of daily US refining capacity have been shut by Harvey, including the country’s largest refiner, Motiva Port Arthur.

The shut-ins account for nearly a quarter of US refining capacity, close to Japan’s daily consumption. The exports are expected to boost European prices in both physical and paper markets, but the impact on supplies will be tempered by the approaching end of Europe’s summer season, in which demand spikes.

European jet fuel refining margins, the profit that refiners can theoretically make from processing crude into jet fuel, stand at a two-year high of more than USD16 a barrel, Reuters calculations show. That is nearly double the level in early September last year.

Traders are also scrambling to buy other refined products from around the world to move to the United States to cover supply shortages.
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MOSCOW (MRC) - Dow Chemical Co and DuPont said on Friday the companies had successfully completed their planned USD130 billion merger to form DowDuPont, as per Reuters.

Shares of DuPont and Dow stopped trading at the close of Aug. 31 and will now trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “DWDP”.

Dow and DuPont announced the merger in December 2015.

"The true value of this merger lies in the intended creation of three industry powerhouses that will define their markets," Andrew Liveris, executive chairman of DowDuPont, said in a statement on Friday.

Post-merger, Dow and DuPont are expected to break up into three independent, publicly traded units.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- AkzoNobel has finalized the acquisition of French manufacturer Disa Technology (Disatech), as per the company's press release.

The acquisition strengthens AkzoNobel’s global leadership position in supplying innovative industrial coatings and aerospace and automotive coatings.

Headquartered in Limoges, Disatech is the leader in aerospace technical marking systems. The company specializes in the manufacture of self-adhesive vinyl, polyester and polycarbonate films used on aircraft, vehicles, agricultural machinery and other equipment.

The acquisition of Disatech will bring new technologies and services that complement AkzoNobel’s existing portfolio of coatings and films for the aerospace and transport sectors.

Commenting on the final agreement, AkzoNobel COO Paints & Coatings Ruud Joosten said: "With the acquisition now finalized we can further invest in growth and innovation. The technology and knowledge acquired from Disatech strengthens the product and service range we can offer to our customers, bringing them numerous benefits."

Financial details were not disclosed.

As MRC informed before, in December 2016, AkzoNobel finalized the acquisition of BASF’s global Industrial Coatings business, which supplies a range of products for industries including construction, domestic appliances, wind energy and commercial transport, strengthening its position as the global number one supplier in coil coatings.

Akzo Nobel N.V., trading as AkzoNobel, is a Dutch multinational, active in the fields of decorative paints, performance coatings and specialty chemicals. Headquartered in Amsterdam, the company has activities in more than 80 countries, and employs approximately 55,000 people.
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MOSCOW (MRC) - Chicago fuel distributor Olson Service Company snapped up gasoline this week to pre-empt a potential supply crunch in the third-most populous US city as fuel supplies dry up from Texas because of Tropical Storm Harvey, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Harvey has triggered widespread flooding across southeastern Texas and neighboring Louisiana, closing close to a quarter of US refining capacity. On Tuesday, a major fuel artery from the Gulf Coast to Chicago shut down because there was no fuel to pump through it. The line can carry 660 Mbpd, and about 350 Mbpd of that typically go to the Chicago area.

There are refineries in Chicago and other pipelines that pump in gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. But with the nation's entire fuel supply system strained and prices at the pump rising, Olson is taking no chances, said Mario Orlandi, operations manager at the company.

The firm, which supplies diesel and gasoline to construction companies, has bought more fuel in anticipation of possible shortages and more price rises, he said. Retail gas prices in the Chicago area are already about 7.5 percent above national averages.

His company typically keeps fuel tanks 60% full, but has increased stored fuel to 80 or 90 percent of capacity, Orlandi said. Olson Service tanks store 150,000 gallons, he added. At least one other Chicago-area distributor planned to stockpile extra fuel as the shutdown on Wednesday morning of the Explorer Pipeline, which ends in the city's suburbs, raised the threat of shortages.

The AAA, representing motor clubs throughout the United States and Canada, said Chicago's gasoline stocks would fall because of the pipeline closure, but downplayed the possibility of shortages because inventory levels were high.

"We're going to see surplus stocks go down," said AAA spokeswoman Jeanette Casselano. The Midwest has 52.7 million barrels of gasoline in surplus, 4.4 MM more than this time last year, she said. "The pipeline status is not going to have a huge impact at this time," she added. "If refineries are offline for months and months, it's a different story and we will need to reassess."

It is unclear how long it will take to repair and restart refineries. Refiners have yet to assess the damage they sustained. On Wednesday, average retail regular gas prices in Metro Chicago were USD2.58 per gallon, up from USD2.56 a week ago, according to the AAA. Nationally, gas averaged USD2.40 on Wednesday, up from USD2.34 a week ago.

Further pressure on retail prices could be coming, as Chicago wholesale CBOB gasoline prices are at the highest level since at least mid-June 2016. They last traded at about 18 cents a gallon above benchmark futures, traders said. Diesel prices firmed by about half a cent, they said.

William Fleischli, executive vice-president of the Illinois Petroleum Marketers Association, which represents 400 fuel distributors, said much depended on how long the shutdown lasts.
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