Tuesday, May 6, 2014

2.2.2 Effect on Materials

The extremely low temperature of liquid hydrogen makes many materials brittle and easily broken. This includes most metals, including many grades of carbon steel and low alloy steels, and many of the materials typically used for sealing joints in liquid storage systems, such as rubber and many plastics. Liquid hydrogen storage systems must be constructed from very specific materials that can maintain their strength at low temperatures. Liquid hydrogen storage tanks and lines are usually constructed from stainless steel, and nonwelded joints may be sealed with o-rings made from specialized materials specifically tested to be compatible with the extremely low temperature of liquid hydrogen.

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