High performance, thin metal lined, composite overwrapped pressure vessel

Abstract

An innovative technology for composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) has been developed which significantly increases cost effectiveness, increases reliability, and reduces weight over state-of-the-art COPVs. This technology combines an innovative thin liner made of a metal having a high modulus of elasticity and a high ductility, a high-performance composite overwrap and a high-performance film adhesive at the overwrap / liner interface. The metal liner can be fabricated from readily available titanium alloy sheet and plate using a combination of spin forming and machining to fabricate components and electron-beam welding for tank assembly. The composite overwrap is filament-wound onto an adhesive-covered titanium liner and the overwrap and adhesive are co-cured in an oven to yield an integrated tank structure.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the InventionThe present invention relates to composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPV's) and their method of manufacture. More specifically, the present invention relates to high-performance COPV's including liners made of metals which exhibit high moduli of elasticity and high ductility, such as titanium alloys.2. General BackgroundThe basic technology for composite overwrapped pressure vessels with metal liners dates back to the late 60's and early 70's.High-performance fibers offer very high strength-to-weight ratios and are ideal for making lightweight pressure vessels. However, composite laminates fabricated with these fibers have relatively high permeability and cannot contain high pressure liquids or gasses or low pressure gasses for extended periods of time. Therefore, composite pressure vessels must have a liner to prevent leakage. The tank efficiency, as measured by its pressure multiplied by its volume divided by its weight (PV / ...

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