Hyundai Steel’s ultra-low temperature rebars for LNG storage tanks, guaranteed to withstand temperatures as low as -170℃, have been selected as the recipient of the IR52 Jang Young-shil Award for the 24th week of 2024 in Korea.
The “IR (Industrial Research) 52 Jang Young-shil Award,” established in 1991, is awarded by the Ministry of Science and ICT and organized by the Korea Industrial Technology Association. It is the most prestigious technology award in Korea, recognizing innovative technologies developed by Korean companies each week and awarded to researchers leading advancements in their fields.
This round, the IR52 Jang Young-shil Award was given to four employees of Hyundai Steel. They are Team Leader Chung jun-ho and Lee Ju-sang from the Long Product Development Team, Kim Rok-seok from the Long Product Quality Management Team, and Jung Jin from the Long Product Solution Team.
(From left) Team Leader Chung Jun-ho of the Long Product Development Team;
Lee Ju-sang of the Long Product Development Team; Kim Rok-seok of the Long Product Quality Management Team
and Jung Jin of the Long Product Solution Team
To transport LNG, large-scale storage tanks are essential. Currently, the rebars used in the outer walls of these tanks are monopolistically supplied by one specific company, which results in them being approximately three times more expensive than regular rebars. The award-winning product demonstrated performance comparable to the existing monopolized products, and is expected to strengthen the competitiveness of Korean manufacturing industries and Hyundai Steel.
As it is crucial for the rebar to maintain strength at low temperatures, nickel-manganese (Ni/Mn) composite additive technology was applied, a first in Korean rebars, to secure quality not only at room temperature but also at the ultra-low temperature of -170℃. In the event of LNG leakage at its liquefaction temperature of -162℃, the rebar will prevent the sudden collapse of structures, ensuring safety. Moreover, by using ultra-low temperature rebars the need for traditional polyurethane foam (PUF) insulation used in past LNG tank constructions is eliminated, while both construction time and costs can be reduced.
Notably, the research team applied rigorous steel manufacturing standards and conducted operations under highly purified conditions. The team also conducted experiments at a more severe temperature of -170℃ compared to existing competitive products that guarantee performance at -165℃. As a result, it was found that the content of gaseous lightweight elements (nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen) that can form internal impurities remained at approximately 70-80% the level in competing products. The team proved that the product’s uniform elongation rate, which is an important performance metric, is approximately two times superior even under more severe temperature conditions.
Hyundai Steel is planning to enhance construction safety and reinforce market competitiveness by improving the strength of ultra-low temperature rebars. It is aiming to develop the world’s first ultra-low temperature rebar with a yield strength of 600 MPa at room temperature, surpassing the current 500 MPa standard.