Cryogenic pumps play an important role in hydrogen fueling, transportation, and storage. The performance and reliability of a cryogenic pump directly affect the functionality of the entire hydrogen fueling station. The cryogenic pumping industry is slowly recognizing the need to optimize their pumps for the hydrogen pumping scenario. To this end, it is important to develop a more mechanistic understanding of the various failure behaviors and mechanisms as well as ways to predict when these events will occur. We conducted a systematic analysis of available scholarly sources to identify the failure modes and mechanisms for a cryopump, as well as the reliability and risk studies methods performed. In this paper, we aim to (1) evaluate the available research on the risk, reliability, and safety of cryogenic pumps in various fields of engineering, (2) identify gaps in the studies, and (3) provide recommendations for the development of higher reliability cryogenic pumps.
Key findings from the study highlight a limited exploration of the reliability and safety aspects of cryogenic pumps and a lack of unity in the language and definition of terms. We synthesized a list of documented failure modes and mechanisms to create clearer terminology. These terms can be used to enable data collection and maintenance logging which in turn can inform reliability and risk analysis methodologies. By prioritizing reliability and safety in using cryogenic pumps, safer and more reliable technology can be ensured for emerging hydrogen fueling.