The development of hydrogen storage infrastructure requires the integration of industrial safety principles, structural performance, and regulatory compliance into a single engineering solution. In this project, INCIMAT carried out the design and verification of a new facility intended for the storage of hydrogen cylinder bundles within an existing industrial environment, assessing both the proposed structure and the load-bearing capacity of the supporting elements on which it was to be installed.
The project included the design of an open and semi-enclosed facility specifically conceived to promote permanent natural ventilation and minimize the risk of hydrogen accumulation. The solution incorporated passive safety features, dedicated enclosure elements, and a lightweight roof designed to protect auxiliary equipment without compromising the ventilation requirements associated with this type of installation.
As part of the engineering work, advanced finite element structural models were developed to evaluate the behavior of the proposed structure and verify the capacity of the existing slab to withstand the new concentrated loads associated with hydrogen storage. The study considered multiple storage configurations, allowing the identification of the most critical load cases and the assessment of the forces transmitted to the supporting structure.
Environmental actions, including wind and snow loads, were also evaluated, together with the interaction between the various structural components of the facility. The assessment enabled the definition of a technically viable solution compatible with the existing geometric constraints and aligned with the industrial safety requirements applicable to gas storage installations.
This type of project demonstrates INCIMAT’s capability to develop engineering solutions associated with emerging energy technologies, combining structural design, numerical modeling, complex load analysis, and the adaptation of existing infrastructure to new operational requirements.