Numerical analysis of the impact of winding angles on the mechanical performance of filament wound type 4 composite pressure vessels for compressed hydrogen gas storage

Transportation relies heavily on petroleum products, forcing the adoption of alternative energy sources like hydrogen. Hydrogen is considered the cleanest fuel for the twenty-first century due to its water-based combustion and no CO2 emissions. However, challenges persist in production, utilization, and storage; employing composite material-based high-pressure storage vessels is increasing in the hydrogen storage sector. The paper analyzes the impact of the winding angles on the mechanical performance of the filament wound Type 4 composite pressure vessels (CPVs) for compressed hydrogen gas storage at 70 MPa. This work examines the individual winding angles and combined angles winding patterns to promote the efficiency of Type 4 CPVs by achieving maximum burst pressure, ensuring safe burst mode, and reducing CPV weight by applying maximum principal stress theory with the aid of the Ansys ACP Prep/Post and static modules. The weight and burst pressure of CPVs are significantly influenced by fiber orientation; a combination of positive and negative helical winding angles promotes higher burst pressure at a lower weight. A hoop angle and intermediate helical angles can be combined to create high-efficiency CPVs that provide mechanical performance comparable to that of a combination of high and low helical angles. Finally, a one-factor-at-a-time (OAT) sensitivity analysis was performed to determine how the winding angle and the thicknesses of layers affect the CPVs' performance. It was found that the performance of the CPVs is significantly influenced by the thicknesses of the wound layers.