Numerical study of influence of temperature and matrix cracking on type IV hydrogen high pressure storage vessel behavior

Type IV hydrogen high pressure storage vessels are subjected to severe thermo-mechanical loading due to fast filling. In this study a thermo-mechanical model of this kind of tank is developed, taking into account wind angle and thickness variation in domes, thermal dependencies of mechanical and thermal material properties and damage. Influence of damage and temperature on tank behavior is analyzed with isothermal calculations at different temperatures (−40 °C, 25 °C and 85 °C) before performing a simulation of filling which leads to spatial and temporal temperature gradients in the structure. Influence of this complex thermal loading on the mechanical response of the tank is also studied.