Recent Advances in Solid Hydrogen Storage Systems

Abstract

Hydrogen energy offers great promise as an energy alternative. Hydrogen technologies can reduce and eliminate the release of carbon dioxide from fossil-fuel combustion, the main cause of global warming. One of the main challenges is hydrogen storage. Storing hydrogen in the solid-state hydride form holds a volumetric advantage over compressed and liquid hydrogen states. Solid hydrogen storage systems also have features of low-pressure operation, compactness, safety, tailorable delivery pressure, excellent absorption /desorption kinetics, modular design for easy scalability, and long cycle life.In this paper, solid hydrogen storage systems (such as portable power canisters, lightweight fiber wrapped vessels, and aluminum tubular vessels, developed by Texaco Ovonic Hydrogen Systems LLC) will be discussed. A system of four canisters each storing approximately 80 grams of reversible hydrogen is shown to run a 1 kW PEM fuel cell for more than 247 minutes at full power. Canisters show no plastic deformation after more than 500 charge/discharge cycles. The measured strain on canister surfaces indicates that DOT stress limits are not exceeded. The canisters are in the early commercialization stage for uninterrupted power supply (UPS) and auxiliary power unit (APU) applications.A lightweight fiber-wrapped vessel engineered with metal hydride and internal heat exchanger is being developed for onboard applications. At the system level, the vessel has a volumetric energy density of 50 grams of hydrogen per liter and a gravimetric density of 1.6 wt.%. The vessel is capable of storing 3 kg of hydrogen with a fast refueling capability. Ninety percent of the storable hydrogen can be refueled in 10 minutes at 1500 psig. The vessel can easily release the hydrogen at a rate of 350 slpm at 70 o C.Aluminum tubular vessels are being designed and tested for bulk storage and infrastructure applications including stationary power, hydrogen shipment and hydrogen service stations. The tubular vessel dimensions may be designed for specific applications. For example, a tubular vessel 6 inches in diameter and 62 inches in length can store up to 1 kg of hydrogen.

Using metal hydride H2 storage in mobile fuel cell equipment: Design and predicted performance of a metal hydride fuel cell mobile light

“…The exact composition of the material is proprietary, but it is a transition-metals-based AB 2 type alloy with A = Ti, Zr and B = V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Al. With the OV679 alloy, one Model 2.7FW1104 tank holds 3 kg of hydrogen with a fully-fueled mass of 190 kg (weight = 417 lbs) [15].…”

“…Early experiments on the 2.7FW1104 MH tank have demonstrated a rapid 20 minute refueling to reach the full 3000 g hydrogen capacity for a single tank [15], corresponding to 150 grams/minute. These prior experiments demonstrate that the tank kinetics are more than sufficient for the shortest refueling time contemplated for an unsupported mhH 2 LT unit.…”

“…The 2.7FW1104 metal hydride tank was the result of collaboration between Ovonic and Dynetek from 2002 to 2004. These tanks with the heat exchanger (but without the metal hydride) underwent many rigorous tests during its development, including burst test, bonfire test and cycle test to confirm physical integrity [15]. However, the tank was a prototype and has not been submitted for DOT approval.…”

Electrical analysis of Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cells for electrical power generation on-board commercial airplanes

“…Refs. :[30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38].Compressed gas: 350 bar (5,000 psi)Compressed gas: 700 bar (10,000 psi) Metal Hydride (Current Technology) Metal Hydride (Proposed) Liquid (Current Technology) Liquid (Proposed) Volume of different hydrogen storage tanks as a function of mass of hydrogen stored. The compressed gas options require a larger volume than either the liquid or metal hydride options[30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37].…”

Centralized Production of Hydrogen using a Coupled Water Electrolyzer-Solar Photovoltaic System

“…11 However, it needs to be emphasized that the MH cost and performance estimates are speculative and require additional analysis. The performance data for MH containers are from Chao et al 12 At present, the only PV technology clearly demonstrating the potential to meet the module cost ($60/m 2 ) and minimum performance (10% PV module efficiency) projections of this study is thin film PV. 1* Other combinations of module performance and cost (e.g., those of wafer silicon) are not as economical at the system level.…”