Failure Analysis of Novel BOSS Structures for Type IV Hydrogen Storage Vessels

Abstract

This study focuses on the critical connection area between type IV hydrogen storage vessels and external valves, which is commonly referred to as the BOSS structure. The novel BOSS structures were proposed to further ensure the safety of pressure vessels. In order to identify optimal structure that meet industrial requirements, finite element models were performed to analyze and compare the effectiveness of the proposed models in terms of strength, fatigue, and sealing performance. Some influences were discussed, including the angle of inclination of the stop-rotation platform and the number of sealing grooves in the BOSS structures. The results showed that the fatigue life of the proposed BOSS structures can exceed the design life of 30,000 cycles using austenitic stainless steel S31603. The maximum contact stresses were higher than the operating pressure of 58 MPa. Additionally, The BOSS structure model designed with a stop-rotation platform featuring a 65° tilt angle and two sealing grooves had the lowest mean square deviation of contact stress, which was 13.47 MPa, indicating reliable sealing performance.

Keywords

• hydrogen storage vessel (type IV)
• boss structure
• finite element analysis
• strength verification
• seal failure