LH2 valve technology – effective, available, and reliable

A new demand for LH2 valves? Somewhat but not entirely true. Valves for LH2 applications are in mass use in demanding applications for a long time, read more.

We see a growing adoption on a global scale of Hydrogen as one of the leading future fuels and a massive worldwide investment in developing the technologies, the infrastructure and the feedstock required to turn this future into a reality, starting immediately.

A few of the aspects related to Hydrogen mass storage, transportation, etc., are pushing increased solutions and system designs to be based on Hydrogen in a liquid form, also called Liquefied Hydrogen, or in short LH2. In a liquid state the volume of the same Hydrogen amount will be 848 times less than the volume in a gas state. This fact combined with the relatively low energy capacity that Hydrogen has when compared to fossil fuels, are the main motivations to store, transport and use Hydrogen in a liquid state. For comparison, the volume of Hydrogen gas compressed to about 250barg / 3,600psi pressure is 240 times less than that of a gas in atmospheric pressure, yet way above this for the liquefied gas.

Liquefied Hydrogen maintains its liquidity at a temperature of -253°C / -423°F in atmospheric pressure. Such low cryogenic temperatures are of the extreme and requires all components in these systems to be effective, reliable, and based on well proven technologies.

For the last three decades Habonim cryogenic valves are in service in the most demanding cryogenic applications. Over the years, Habonim developed technology and gained expertise that made the company’s cryogenic valve offering the first choice for many cryogenic applications, and for Liquefied Hydrogen in particular.

For many years industries like the space rocket industry is using LH2 as one of the main fuels alongside LOX (liquefied oxygen), and others. Such systems require a set of capabilities from the fueling piping systems, as well as the components they are built from.

The selected valves for LH2 rocket fueling systems provides the design, construction and material selection that ensures reliable operation in these deep cryogenic temperatures as a basic standard, in addition, high flow, full port design and a variety of piping connections are required.

In these systems, emission prevention and effective in-line leak prevention is critical, as Hydrogen molecules are the smallest in nature and therefore even more challenging for sealing, in cryogenic temperatures this becomes a real challenge for valves that are responsible for a large portion of the total piping system loss and emissions.

Habonim’s Hydrogen Cryogenic ball valves become the first choice of leading space rocket companies, based on their established performance. Ball valves have a high flow by design and where a Full Port ball valve is used, the regularity of high flow is even greater.

Habonim’s Total HermetiX integrity package is combined in all LH2 valves, the HermetiX stem sealing that is tested and certified for emission prevention, double body sealing, and unique seats designs that provide bubble tight sealing at deep cryogenic temperatures.

The combination of these proven technologies is offered as catalog available products, allowing the flexibility to design and use a wide variety of valves types, end connections, sizes, and pressures up to Class #2500 for LH2 use, both manual and automated valves, multiport, control valves, and many more.

Habonim cryogenic valves for LH2 service in regular and high-pressures are trusted and used by companies and institutes like SpaceX, Blue Origin, NASA and many others and it is available to you.