Liquid oxygen cryogenic storage tank is a special container designed for storing cryogenic liquid below – 150°C. Its core technology lies in the double-layer vacuum adiabatic structure:
Inner liner: made of low-temperature resistant stainless steel (e.g. 304L/316L), which is in direct contact with liquid oxygen and needs to withstand low temperature and internal pressure;
Shell: made of carbon steel or stainless steel to provide physical protection;
Sandwich: pumped to high vacuum (≤10-²Pa) and filled with insulation materials (such as pearl sand, aerogel), the thermal conductivity is as low as 0.002W/(m・K), which is equivalent to 1/100th of ordinary air.
Compared with ordinary storage tanks, its uniqueness is reflected in the following:
Extreme environmental adaptability: Long-term stable operation from – 200°C to room temperature;
Pressure control system: Equipped with safety valves and regulators to ensure that the pressure inside the tank is maintained at a safe range of 0.1-20MPa;
Sealing design: the welded seams are 100% helium mass spectrometry leakage detection, the leakage rate is ≤1×10-⁹Pa・m³/s.
The design and manufacture of liquid oxygen storage tanks need to strictly follow the global mainstream standards:
ASME BPVC Section VIII (U.S.A.): regulates the material, strength calculation and manufacturing process of pressure vessels;
EN 13458 (Europe): for cryogenic tank insulation performance, safety accessories testing requirements;
GB 150/GB 50094 (China): regulates the welding quality, installation acceptance and fire separation of storage tanks.
1.Fixed storage tanks
2.Mobile storage tank
3.Dewar Cylinders
Medical industry: Tertiary hospitals are usually equipped with 50-200m³ fixed storage tanks, which convert liquid oxygen into gaseous state through vaporizers to meet the respiratory support needs of thousands of beds, and their emergency reserve capacity needs to meet the full load of oxygen for 72 consecutive hours.
Aerospace industry: The 10,000-ton storage tanks at the rocket launch site adopt the “atmospheric pressure + cryogenic” design, where liquid oxygen is burned as an oxidizer mixed with liquid hydrogen fuel to generate huge energy to propel the rockets into the air.
Manufacturing industry: In the metal cutting field, liquid oxygen storage tanks are used in conjunction with cutting torches to increase cutting speed and reduce energy consumption. It is particularly suitable for precision machining of thick steel plates.
Fullcryo specializes in the research, development and application of liquid oxygen cryogenic storage tanks. Its products adopt double-layer steel structure, the inner layer is made of stainless steel to meet the needs of – 196°C low-temperature environment, the outer layer is made of carbon steel or stainless steel, and the interlayer adopts the design of vacuum + perlite insulation, and can be equipped with high-tech thermal insulation materials such as foam glass, rock wool and so on. The tanks cover a working pressure range of 5-37 bar and are designed for temperatures from – 196°C to 50°C, and comply with major international quality and safety standards. Product specifications can be customized according to project requirements, from basic double-walled single vessel structures to large storage systems, suitable for medical, industrial, energy and other scenarios of liquid oxygen storage needs.
Coolbox is a customized cryogenic gas supply service provided by Fullcryo, integrating design, installation, use and maintenance. For different media such as liquid oxygen, liquid nitrogen, liquid argon, carbon dioxide, etc., we provide a variety of specifications of storage tanks according to the customer’s gas consumption, and fill and supply small storage tanks at the site of gas consumption through a special cryogenic tanker. Different from the traditional Dewar cylinder and high-pressure cylinder gas supply mode, the service is equipped with remote liquid level monitoring system and safety protection devices, and the project team evaluates the optimal solution with the site conditions and gas consumption data to enhance the efficiency and safety of gas usage.
Fullcryo’s Cryogenic Liquid Oxygen Transportation Storage adopts lightweight frame design and self-developed traveling mechanism, equipped with over 300 cubic meters of vaporizers to achieve rapid loading and unloading of liquids, and can be equipped with three-axis EBS system, high-speed filling pumps, high-precision mass flow meters and other configurations. Take KP9408GDYYA 27 cubic meters refrigerated liquid oxygen transportation semi-trailer as an example, its volume and loading performance is ahead of the same industry in China, and the liquid unloading efficiency has been increased by 20%, which is suitable for the long-distance transportation scenarios between the place of production of cryogenic liquids and the place of use, port terminals and large-scale transit stations.
Capacity calculation: choose cryogenic tank size according to average daily oxygen consumption.
Pressure matching: medical scenes usually choose 0.8MPa low-pressure tanks, industrial gas separation projects need 2-5MPa medium-pressure tanks;
Mobile demand: construction sites and other temporary scenarios give priority to vehicle-mounted tanks (equipped with GPS positioning and temperature remote monitoring);
Energy consumption index: evaporation rate (BOR) needs to be ≤0.1%/day, and aerogel adiabatic tanks can be as low as 0.05%/day, which is suitable for long-term storage scenarios;
Compliance certification: ATEX certification is required for export to EU, and DOT-4L transportation standard is required for North American market.
Technical capability: examine whether the manufacturer has a cryogenic tank R&D laboratory (e.g. cryogenic shock test, vacuum life test equipment);
Case verification: give priority to manufacturers who supply for the head enterprise (e.g. a space launch center has provided 10,000 tons of storage tanks for the supplier);
Service network: confirm whether to provide 7×24 hours emergency response, and localized maintenance team coverage.
Operation and maintenance of cryogenic liquid oxygen storage tanks need to focus on safety standards and full-cycle management.
operators need to be professionally trained and familiar with regulations and operation manuals, check the liquid level (≤95% of the volume), vacuum (≤5Pa) and control the rate (≤50m³/h), equipped with protective equipment to deal with leaks, prohibit water flushing.
In terms of maintenance, daily inspection of frost, pressure, etc. (frost ≤ 10%, pressure fluctuation ± 5%), annual calibration of the safety valve, vacuum re-test (restored to more than 90% of the initial), every 5 years overhaul including non-destructive testing, wall thickness measurement, etc. (wall thickness thinning rate of ≤ 10%, leakage rate of ≤ 1.5 times the initial).
