SafeTank: Smart Health Monitoring & Safe Operation of Type V Hydrogen Tanks

The challenge

Hydrogen mobility requires lightweight compressed-gas storage systems that maintain reliable performance throughout repeated filling and emptying cycles. Conventional inspection approaches provide only periodic information on tank condition, while high-pressure linerless Type V vessels introduce additional challenges because the composite structure must provide both load-bearing capacity and gas containment.

Scope

SafeTank aims to deliver a full-scale Type V pressure-vessel prototype with embedded FBG monitoring, an integrated interrogation and condition-indicator interface, and representative-environment validation under hydraulic pressure cycling and tracer-gas leak testing. The project will establish measurement accuracy, sensor survivability, repeatability and preliminary anomaly-detection capability, together with a standards gap assessment and roadmap for subsequent hydrogen testing and vehicle qualification.