Can a Steel Vessel Contain Liquid Hydrogen at 15,000 PSI and 25C?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the feasibility of containing liquid hydrogen (LH2) in a 1-liter steel vessel at 25°C and 15,000 PSI. Calculations indicate that at this temperature, the pressure generated by the vaporization of LH2 would reach approximately 12,600 PSI, which is below the vessel's pressure threshold. The conversation highlights the importance of material properties, suggesting that while the steel vessel could theoretically contain the gas, there may be a negligible diffusion of hydrogen through the steel over time. The ideal gas law may not apply accurately at such high pressures, necessitating the use of a phase diagram for more precise analysis.

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  • Understanding of liquid hydrogen properties and behavior
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  • Basic concepts of phase diagrams in thermodynamics
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zlj06
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I've read a fews post about liquid hydrogen boil off, but could use a bit more clarification; insight on the following thought experiment would be really helpful: What happens if I take a 1 L steel vessel, put 1 L of liquid H2 into it, seal it off, and let it sit in a room at 25C?

The density of LH2 is ~71 g / L, which at a molecular density of 2.016 g / mol works out to ~35.2 mols. At STP, this has a volume of ~ 790L, so solving for P = (nRT/V) gets me to a pressure of ~ 12,600 PSI at 25 C.

So my question is, if my vessel can withstand, say, 15,000 PSI, the H2 just sits there as a gas under pressure, right? And maybe there is some negligible rate at which the H2 gas diffuses through the steel over long periods of time? Of course, if the vessel can't withstand at least 12,600 PSI, it blows up and kills me, which is very likely unless it's encased in carbon fiber.
 
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I would think at that pressure the ideal gas law might break down. It would probably be better to look at a phase diagram.
 

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