Hydrogen Storage: High-Pressure Gas Containment

Abstract

This review outlines the prospects for gaseous hydrogen, stored in high-pressure cylinders, as a fuel for automotive applications. Following an initial description of hydrogen embrittlement problems encountered in the past in steel cylinders, the article explores the use of other types of gas cylinders, including the recent examples of hoop-wound and fully wound composites. Central to the article is the concept of the volume of hydrogen transported for the minimum amount of container weight. Finally, the role of international standards in developing safe and efficient cylinders for this application is emphasized.

Kinetic study of NaBH4 hydrolysis over carbon-supported ruthenium

“…LiH, MgH 2 ) [1], hydrogen storages in adsorption materials (e.g. carbon nanotubes and graphites) [2], compressed hydrogen tanks [3], and the hydrolysis of chemical hydrides [4]. Among these methods, the hydrolysis of NaBH 4 (Scheme 1) has attracted great attention due to the high stability of its alkaline solution and the relatively high energy density, which can reach 6% by weight [5].…”

The dual role of coherent twin boundaries in hydrogen embrittlement

“…This deleterious phenomenon, known as hydrogen embrittlement (HE), disrupts power generation, H containment and hydrocarbon extraction [2][3][4] . High-strength alloys subjected to HE in extreme environments, such as deep oil wells, are often poorly accessible and difficult to monitor, forcing reliance on conservative lifetime limits to prevent catastrophic failures 5,6 .…”

Investigation of the hydrogen release incident at the AC Transit Emeryville Facility.

“…Communication during these reviews along with attention to material selection details by: vendors, sub-contractors, general contractors and station managers, would have prevented this incident. 4 Proper communication and quality assurance during the component fabrication and selection would also have prevented this incident.…”

“…For example, many transportable gas cylinders are manufactured from the same pressure vessel steels whether for use with nitrogen or with hydrogen; however, these cylinders are manufactured such that the steel has a relatively low strength. It is well known that if the strength is increased sufficiently, these steels can fail due to hydrogen embrittlement [4][5][6][7]; consequently, US Department of Transportation specifically disallows transportation of gaseous hydrogen in pressure vessels manufactured from highstrength steels (49CFR173.302a). In short, extrapolation to combinations of material, environment and stress outside the range of experience or engineering data can result in an undesirable outcome.…”