Cryogenic storage tank for liquid nitrogen.

Cryogenic Storage Tanks

When it needs to be cold, and stay cold. Our cryogenic storage tanks for liquid nitrogen, oxygen, & LNG are the answer.

Overview - Cryogenic & LNG Pressure Vessels

Didion Vessel has many years of experience in the design and manufacture of ASME certified cryogenic pressure vessels, such as storage tanks for liquid nitrogen, oxygen, and LNG. We have built many of these for NASA and others throughout the years. The testing rules become much more rigorous at temps below -320° F, as outlined by the ASME Section VIII Div I, UHA-51. Despite this, we have experience and procedures already in place for temps all the way down to -452° F. Therefore, we are able to provide storage tanks for all cryogenic fluids including liquid nitrogen, oxygen (LOX), hydrogen, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and even liquid helium. Also, we can insulate your vessels with a vacuum jacket in tandem with MLI or perlite. 

At our shop in Bellevue, Ohio USA, we offer many in-house services. This includes things such as liquid nitrogen cold shocking, vacuum decay testing, and helium mass spec testing. We also can provide pickling and passivating of your tank. Moreover, we can meet the stringent standards regarding the cleaning often required with many cryogens. You can depend on our depth of experience for all your cryogenic pressure vessels and LNG tanks. Contact our team today.  

Didion Vessel has many years of experience in the design and manufacture of ASME certified cryogenic pressure vessels, such as storage tanks for liquid nitrogen, oxygen, and LNG. We have built many of these for NASA and others throughout the years. The testing rules become much more rigorous at temps below -320° F, as outlined by the ASME Section VIII Div I, UHA-51. Despite this, we have experience and procedures already in place for temps all the way down to -452° F. Therefore, we are able to provide pressure vessels for all cryogenic fluids including liquid nitrogen, oxygen (LOX), hydrogen, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and even liquid helium. Also, we can insulate your vessel with a vacuum jacket in tandem with MLI or perlite. 

At our shop in Bellevue, Ohio USA, we offer many in-house services. This includes services such as liquid nitrogen cold shocking, vacuum decay testing, and helium mass spec testing. We also can provide pickling and passivating of your tank. Moreover, we can meet the stringent standards regarding the cleaning often required with many cryogens. You can depend on our depth of experience for all of your cryogenic pressure vessels and LNG tanks. Contact our team today.

Liquid Nitrogen Cold Shocking and Leak Decay Testing For Your Cryogenic Storage Tanks

As mentioned, we offer a wide variety of in-house services. Let’s take a closer look at two common services used by cryogenic storage tank manufacturers.

First, there is cold shocking. What is this? It is a way to pre-stress the welds of a tank at very low temps, before pressure testing. And, above all, before its first use by the customer. Our primary method to cold shock involves wrapping the vessel with insulation and then filling the it with liquid nitrogen, and then letting it to warm to room temp.

Second, there is vacuum decay testing. This is when we bring the vacuum jacket of a vessel down to its target vacuum and leave it for a set period of time. Then, we measure the loss of vacuum (the decay), which reveals the quality of the vacuum seal. Then, if needed, we make tweaks until we exceed the target decay rate.

ASME Liquid Nitrogen, Oxygen, or LNG Storage Tanks

We can build and stamp cryogenic vessels to ASME Sect VIII, Div 1, 2, or 3.

What are Cryogenic Storage Tanks?

Cryogenic pressure vessels, storage tanks, cryo-tanks, and storage dewars all describe various containers that hold liquid such as oxygen, nitrogen, or LNG. All of these tanks, in their most basic form, hold cryogens. What’s a cryogen? They are liquefied gases that are at extremely cold temps (often -238° F and below). These tanks keep the cryogens at the correct temp and pressure for storage, use, and transport. They often times feature vacuum jackets for insulation, all depending on the specific type of vessel and it’s use. Didion Vessel is a manufacturer that can help you choose the right option.

Heat and Pressure: Stop BOG Before it Starts!

Heat and pressure are two of the most important issues in the cryogenic industry. Cryogenic liquids are stored at very low temps to ensure that they are kept below their boiling point. If temps rise, boil-off gas (BOG) can occur. This results in the loss of product; and once BOG starts, it is very hard to stop! Heat and pressure are directly connected to this issue: if the temperature rises, the pressure does too. Many factors can cause the temperature of the gasses to rise. Some of the causes have been noted by the industry as:

...“heat being absorbed from ambient air by refrigerated storage tanks, heat absorbed from ambient air by lines, heat produced by the operation of pumps, vapor displacement due to liquid inlet in the tank, [and] rapid variation of barometric pressure.”

Process Control Team at Parker Hannifin Corp

Our company will strive to help you slow down the boil-off gas risk of your cryogenic storage tanks. We can assist you in calculating how much insulation you need in order to hit your boil-off rate goals. We offer vacuum jackets in tandem with MLI or perlite.

What is MLI and Perlite Insulation?

We can use various types of insulation for your cryogenic storage tanks to lessen boil-off gas. 

MLI (multi-layer insulation) “is a type of high-performance insulator which uses multiple radiation-heat transfer barriers to retard the flow of energy… MLI design may range from a few simple blankets to a series of subblankets to fit complex geometries.”

NASA, Multilayer Insulation Material Guidelines

Perlite is made of perlite ore, a mineral that is a natural resource with an almost endless supply. It’s known for its foam-like internal structure, which makes it a low-density insulator; perfect for liquid nitrogen, oxygen, and cryogenic storage tanks and LNG pressure vessels.