Structural strength and fatigue analyses of large-scale underwater compressed hydrogen energy storage accumulator

Underwater compressed hydrogen energy storage (UWCHES) is a potential solution for offshore energy storage. By taking advantage of the hydrostatic pressure of deep seawater, the compressed hydrogen can be isobarically stored in underwater artificial energy storage accumulators. The accumulator should withstand high pressure and large buoyancy and possess reliable anchoring to the seabed. In this study, the structural strength analysis and fatigue life of the large-scale accumulator is conducted employing the finite element method (FEM). The dimensionless stress prediction model and dimensionless fatigue life prediction model are developed through dimensional analysis and multivariate regression analysis. The performance of the accumulator with operating water depth of 100∼300 m, gas storage volume of 1081∼10128 m³, and concrete wall thickness of 0.1∼0.63 m is investigated. The results show that with an operating water depth of 100 m, gas storage capacity of 10,128 m³, and concrete wall thickness of 0.63 m, the maximum compressive stress is 1.43 MPa (yield strength is 60 MPa) and the maximum tensile stress of the accumulator is 2.55 MPa (yield strength is 6 MPa). The design fatigue life is 10⁶ cycles which is larger than the expected service life of 10⁴ cycles. Therefore, the accumulator structure meets the static strength and fatigue life. As the operating water depth increases with a consistent gas storage capacity, a transition in the stress state shifts from primarily tensile stress to predominantly compressive stress. The accuracy of the dimensionless stress prediction model and the dimensionless fatigue life prediction model were verified, with maximum deviations of 10.3 % and 13.7 %, respectively. Furthermore, the anchoring factor of safety of 1.12 is achieved.