Chart, Crane Complete Trial of Liquid Hydrogen Valve

Chart Industries and Crane Company have successfully tested a new cryogenic valve, specifically designed by Crane for liquid hydrogen applications. This valve is the first product from Crane's CRYOFLO line of bellow seal vacuum jacketed globe valves, which underwent design and testing by Crane, with final validation, review, and testing conducted by Chart at their liquid hydrogen test facility in New Prague, MN, USA.

The CRYOFLO valve is the first that Chart has successfully tested in a high-cycle liquid hydrogen application. The testing involved installing the valve in a validation system provided by Chart, flowing liquid hydrogen through it at various operating temperatures and pressures. The valve successfully withstood over 5,000 open/close cycles at a pressure of 150 psig/10 bar and required no adjustments or maintenance during the test.

Furthermore, the Crane CRYOFLO valve has completed cryogenic certification and endurance testing per MSS-SP-134 standards, qualifying the size range from ½-2" at a 300 psi working pressure. Cryogenic valves play a crucial role in various hydrogen equipment, including hydrogen liquefaction equipment, cold boxes, transport trailers, storage tanks, fuel cell vehicle fuel stations, onboard fuel tanks, and other end-use systems. Valves must be leak-resistant, reliable in operation, and have minimal impact on process performance.