Hyosung Advanced Materials Expands PAN Carbon Fiber Production to Meet Growing Demand for Fuel Tank Cylinders

Hyosung Advanced Materials Corp. (Seoul, South Korea) announced that it will be expanding PAN carbon fiber production by adding a third line of 2,500 tons/year at its Jeon-Ju production facility in South Korea. This additional annual capacity of 2,500 tons will bring annual total carbon fiber production to 6,500 tons by July 2022. In 2020 Hyosung Advanced Materials also added a second carbon fiber production line.

According to the company, the driving force of this expansion is to meet the demand for carbon fiber used in industrial applications such as cable core, building infrastructure and, in particular, fuel tank cylinders for compressed natural gas (CNG) and hydrogen vehicles, which typically reach 350-700 bar (5,000-10,000 psi) operating pressure. Hyosung Advanced Materials believes that with its high-strength and high-strain carbon fibers, TANSOME, will play a key role in type III and type IV cylinder pressure vessels and their safe operation, and will become a go-to solution for highly pressurized fuel tank cylinder manufacturers.

“This expansion is part of a large-scale carbon fiber investment plan announced in 2019 with plans to expand the carbon fiber production site at Jeon-Ju to 24,000 tons per year by 2028 after investing 1 trillion won ($890 million),” says Song Joo Choi, president of the Carbon Business Division.

According to Paul Kennedy, director of Sales and Marketing for North America, “Our fibers are also becoming a performance-driven solution for infrastructure applications and our unsized carbon fibers in thermoplastic matrices are seeing keen interest in oil and gas applications.” 

Hyosung Advanced Materials is part of Hyosung Group. As an advanced fiber manufacturer, it says it’s the largest supplier of polyester tire-cord, seatbelt yarns and airbag fabrics worldwide. In addition, Hyosung Advanced Materials is recognized as a quality supplier of various technical textiles including automotive carpets, aramid fibers and carbon fibers.