in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com).Using modeling and thermal simulations, the feasibility of an adsorption-based hydrogen storage system for vehicles is evaluated. The storage capacity of a 150 L tank filled with a high surface-area activated carbon is mapped for temperatures from 60 to 298 K and pressures up to 35 MPa. The thermal simulations are verified using experiments. For a storage capacity target of 5 kg, the adsorption-based storage system will offer a storage advantage over the cryogenic gas storage if the residual mass of hydrogen in the tank is retrieved by heating. For a discharge rate of 1.8 g/s, the required heat is of the order of 500 W. The net energy requirements for the refueling has contributions from compression, precooling and tank cooling and can approach that for liquid hydrogen storage. With a good insulation and a maximum tank pressure of 35 MPa, the dormancy period can be extended to several weeks. V
In the past, material innovation has changed society through new material-induced technologies, adding a new value to society. In the present world, engineers and scientists are expected to invent new materials to solve the global problem of climate change. For the transport sector, the challenge for material engineers is to change the oil-based world into a sustainable world. After witnessing the recent high oil price and its adverse impact on the global economy, it is time to accelerate our efforts towards this change.Industries are tackling global energy issues such as oil and CO 2 , as well as local environmental problems, such as NO x and particulate matter. Hydrogen is the most promising candidate to provide carbon-free, emission-free and oil-free mobility. As such, engineers are working very hard to bring this technology into the real society. This paper describes recent progress of vehicle technologies, as well as hydrogenstorage technologies to extend the cruise range and ensure the easiness of refuelling and requesting material scientists to collaborate with industry to fight against global warming.
History shows that the evolution of vehicles is promoted by several environmental restraints very similar to the evolution of life. The latest environmental strain is sustainability. Transport vehicles are now facing again the need to advance to use sustainable fuels such as hydrogen. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are being prepared for commercialization in 2015. Despite intensive research by the world's scientists and engineers and recent advances in our understanding of hydrogen behavior in materials, the only engineering phase technology which will be available for 2015 is high pressure storage. Thus industry has decided to implement the high pressure tank storage system. However the necessity of smart hydrogen storage is not decreasing but rather increasing because high market penetration of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles is expected from around 2025 onward. In order to bring more vehicles onto the market, cheaper and more compact hydrogen storage is inevitable. The year 2025 seems a long way away but considering the field tests and large scale preparation required, there is little time available for research. Finding smart materials within the next 5 years is very important to the success of fuel cells towards a low carbon sustainable world.
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