A Fleet Monitoring Concept for Modular Exchangeable Hydrogen Tank Units

Kurzfassung

Standardised, exchangeable hydrogen tank modules potentially offer a flexible and scalable solution for mobile Gensets. To ensure operational safety across a large number of such modules under uncertain operational conditions, the structural integrity and operational loads of all hydrogen tanks must be monitored throughout their service life. Structural health monitoring (SHM) of hydrogen pressure vessels is particularly challenging due to manufacturing-related uncertainties and complex degradation mechanisms during operation. This study presents a fleet-level monitoring concept for modular exchangeable hydrogen tank units based on in-service surface-strain assessment using FBG sensors. The integration of fleet-wide data and a priori knowledge enables improved anomaly detection and early warning of systematic issues. In this study, a set of axisymmetric finite-element models of hydrogen pressure vessels serves as a priori input on expected surface strain during operation while accounting for manufacturing-related uncertainties. A second set of finite element models incorporates further sources of operational uncertainty and serves as simulated fleet data. This work explores the utilisation of Bayesian inference to update the a priori assumptions based on available fleet-data and assess the structural state of individual hydrogen pressure vessels. The framework is then evaluated based on its capability to detect damage in a third set of finite element models with local delamination within the dome region.