Solid state hydrogen storage system

Abstract

This invention relates to solid-state hydrogen storage systems. A storage system for storing solid-state hydrogen includes: a plurality of storage bodies comprising two or more solid-state hydrogen storage materials having different magnetic intensities; a storage container configured to house the storage bodies; and a coil disposed within the storage container and configured to apply a variable magnetic field to the storage bodies housed in the storage container.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a technology related to a system capable of storing hydrogen using solid hydrogen storage materials. Background Technology

[0002] Hydrogen storage technologies are generally categorized into high-pressure gas storage, cryogenic liquid storage, and solid-state hydrogen storage. Among these, solid-state hydrogen storage refers to the physical storage of hydrogen in porous solid materials or the chemical storage of hydrogen through interatomic bonding between the solid material and hydrogen. Because solid-state hydrogen storage can store hydrogen at or near atmospheric pressure, it is safer than high-pressure gas storage. Furthermore, since it can store hydrogen at or near room temperature, it does not require the extremely low temperatures required for cryogenic liquid storage.

[0003] Among these technologies, the chemical storage of hydrogen through interatomic bonding between hydrogen and solid materials achieves greater storage capacity per unit volume, thus realizing high space utilization. Examples of solid-state hydrogen storage materials currently under active research include hydrogen storage alloys based on AB, AB2, AB5, and BCC, and composite metal hydrides based on aluminum hydrides and amino compounds.

[0004] When solid hydrogen storage materials adsorb hydrogen, an exothermic reaction occurs, generating heat of reaction. When hydrogen is released, an endothermic reaction occurs, absorbing heat from the surrounding environment.

[0005] Therefore, a proper cooling process is required when solid hydrogen storage materials adsorb hydrogen, and a proper heating process is required when hydrogen is discharged.

[0006] Therefore, existing technologies incorporate heating and cooling devices in solid-state hydrogen storage systems.

[0007] The above description of the background technology of this invention is only intended to help understand the background of this invention, and is not intended to imply that this invention falls within the scope of prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0008] This invention aims to provide a solid hydrogen storage system that can uniformly control the temperature of the solid hydrogen storage material without requiring a separate heat exchange structure to transfer heat to the solid hydrogen storage material, thereby simplifying the system. Furthermore, this solid hydrogen storage system can increase the hydrogen storage capacity of the solid hydrogen storage material without requiring separate additives to increase the thermal conductivity of the solid hydrogen storage material.

[0009] In one aspect, the present invention provides a storage system for storing solid hydrogen, comprising: a plurality of storage bodies including two or more solid hydrogen storage materials having different magnetic intensities; a storage container configured to contain the storage bodies; and a coil disposed in the storage container and configured to apply a variable magnetic field to the storage bodies contained in the storage container.

[0010] The storage body may include: a first storage body comprising a solid hydrogen storage material containing ferromagnetic elements; and a second storage body comprising a non-ferromagnetic solid hydrogen storage material, including paramagnetic solid hydrogen storage material and non-magnetic solid hydrogen storage material.

[0011] The first storage medium may include a solid hydrogen storage material with a smaller hydrogen storage capacity and a lower hydrogen discharge temperature than the solid hydrogen storage material of the second storage medium.

[0012] The ferromagnetic element contained in the first storage body may consist of at least one of Fe, Ni, or Co.

[0013] The first storage medium may include a hydrogen storage alloy composed of one or both of LaNi5 and TiFe.

[0014] The second storage medium may include a solid hydrogen storage material having a higher hydrogen discharge temperature than the solid hydrogen storage material of the first storage medium.

[0015] The second storage medium may include a solid hydrogen storage material composed of one or more of metal hydrides (e.g., MgH2) and composite metal hydrides (composite metal hydrides are composed of materials based on aluminum hydrides and amino compounds (e.g., NaAlH4)).

[0016] The mixing ratio of the first storage unit and the second storage unit can be set such that the first storage unit accounts for 10% or more but less than 90% of the total.

[0017] The solid hydrogen storage system may further include a cooling pipe in which refrigerant flows to cool the storage body contained in the storage container.

[0018] The storage container may include an inner shell and an outer shell, the inner shell being configured to house the storage body, the outer shell being configured to surround the inner shell, and a coil may be disposed between the inner shell and the outer shell.

[0019] Cooling pipes for refrigerant flow can be installed between the inner and outer shells to cool the storage unit contained in the inner shell.

[0020] Cooling pipes for refrigerant flow can be installed to pass through the interior of the inner shell to cool the storage unit contained within it.

[0021] This invention provides a solid hydrogen storage system that can uniformly control the temperature of the solid hydrogen storage material without requiring a separate heat exchange structure to transfer heat to the solid hydrogen storage material, thereby simplifying the system. Furthermore, this solid hydrogen storage system can increase the hydrogen storage capacity of the solid hydrogen storage material without requiring separate additives to increase the thermal conductivity of the solid hydrogen storage material.

[0022] Furthermore, the solid-state hydrogen storage system according to the present invention can heat the storage medium contained in the storage container in a non-contact manner by applying a magnetic field to the storage medium. Therefore, it offers a high degree of design freedom related to the shape and size of the system, has a large system capacity, and can be applied to a wide range of applications. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 A view showing an embodiment of the solid hydrogen storage system according to the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 A view showing another embodiment of the solid hydrogen storage system according to the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The specific structural or functional descriptions of the exemplary embodiments of the invention illustrated in this specification or application are for the purpose of explaining the exemplary embodiments of the invention. The exemplary embodiments of the invention can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to the exemplary embodiments described in this specification or application.

[0026] Since various modifications and forms can be made to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, specific exemplary embodiments will be shown in the accompanying drawings and described in detail in this specification or application. However, the description of specific exemplary embodiments is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments of the present invention to those specific exemplary embodiments, but rather it should be understood that the invention covers all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives that fall within the spirit and technical scope of the invention.

[0027] Terms such as “first” and / or “second” may be used to describe various constituent elements, but these constituent elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one constituent element from other constituent elements. For example, without departing from the scope of the concept according to the invention, a first constituent element may be referred to as a second constituent element, and similarly, a second constituent element may be referred to as a first constituent element.

[0028] When a component is described as "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that a component can be directly connected to or connected to another component, and there may be intermediate components between the components. When a component is described as "directly connected to" or "directly connected to" another component, it should be understood that there are no intermediate components between the components. Other expressions used to explain the relationship between components, namely "between..." and "exactly between..." or "adjacent to" and "directly adjacent to", should be interpreted in a similar manner.

[0029] The terminology used in this specification is for describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless clearly described in the context. It should be understood in this specification that the terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” “having,” or other variations thereof are inclusive and thus indicate the presence of the stated features, values, steps, operations, elements / components, components, or combinations thereof, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, values, steps, operations, elements / components, components, or combinations thereof.

[0030] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical or scientific terms) shall have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. Unless expressly defined in this specification, terms such as those defined in common dictionaries shall be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art, and not as having an ideal or overly formal meaning.

[0031] In the following description, exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals shown in the various drawings refer to the same parts.

[0032] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 Each embodiment of the solid hydrogen storage system according to the present invention commonly includes: a plurality of storage bodies 1 having two or more solid hydrogen storage materials with different magnetic intensities; a storage container 3 configured to contain the storage bodies 1; and a coil 5 configured to apply a variable magnetic field to the storage bodies 1 contained in the storage container 3.

[0033] That is, according to the present invention, two or more storage bodies 1 with different magnetic intensities are housed in the storage space, and the storage body 1 stores hydrogen. In order to remove hydrogen, a variable magnetic field is applied to the storage body 1 through the coil 5, so that the adsorbed hydrogen can be easily and smoothly removed by induction heating that occurs in the storage body 1.

[0034] In this embodiment, the storage body 1 includes a first storage body 7 and a second storage body 9. The first storage body 7 includes a solid hydrogen storage material containing ferromagnetic elements, and the second storage body 9 includes a non-ferromagnetic solid hydrogen storage material.

[0035] That is, the second storage body 9 can be paramagnetic or nonmagnetic.

[0036] When a variable magnetic field is applied to the storage body 1, the first storage body 7 containing ferromagnetic elements undergoes induction heating, which generates heat autonomously through hysteresis loss and eddy current loss.

[0037] When the second storage body 9 is made of a paramagnetic or non-magnetic material, induction heating is generated through hysteresis loss and eddy current loss, although this induction heating is not as much as that generated by the first storage body 7. Even in the case of a non-magnetic material, induction heating is generated due to eddy current loss.

[0038] Therefore, when a variable magnetic field is applied to the coil 5 while the paramagnetic or nonmagnetic second storage body 9 and the first storage body 7 (which contains ferromagnetic elements and is relatively stronger in ferromagnetism than the second storage body 9) are mixed and contained in the storage container 3, the temperature of the first storage body 7 is raised by induction heating, and the first storage body 7 releases hydrogen. The dehydrogenation further increases the magnetism of the hydrogen-released first storage body 7, thereby further increasing the induction heating, and the second storage body 9 is heated by the generated heat, thereby assisting the second storage body 9 in releasing hydrogen.

[0039] In this embodiment, the first storage body 7 may include a solid hydrogen storage material with a smaller hydrogen storage capacity and a lower hydrogen discharge temperature than the solid hydrogen storage material of the second storage body 9. The second storage body 9 may include a solid hydrogen storage material having a higher hydrogen discharge temperature than the solid hydrogen storage material of the first storage body 7.

[0040] In this scenario, as described above, when a variable magnetic field is applied to the contents stored in the storage container 3 via the coil 5, the first storage body 7, which has a relatively low hydrogen discharge temperature and contains ferromagnetic elements and is therefore ferromagnetic, is heated first, thereby discharging hydrogen. The first storage body 7, which discharges hydrogen, has a stronger magnetism, and with this stronger magnetism, a larger hysteresis loss is generated, resulting in more heat being produced. This heat then heats the second storage body 9, which is mixed together and has a relatively high hydrogen discharge temperature and a large hydrogen storage capacity, thereby discharging the hydrogen adsorbed onto the second storage body 9.

[0041] In this case, when the hydrogen discharge temperature of the first storage body 7 is adjusted to room temperature or close to room temperature, a large amount of hydrogen adsorbed to the first storage body 7 and the second storage body 9 can be discharged by inputting minimal energy.

[0042] The ferromagnetic element contained in the first storage body 7 may consist of at least one of Fe, Ni, or Co. For example, the first storage body 7 may include AB, AB2, and AB5 type hydrogen storage alloys.

[0043] For reference, type AB hydrogen storage alloys include TiFe, type AB2 hydrogen storage alloys include TiMn2, and type AB5 hydrogen storage alloys include LaNi5.

[0044] The second storage body 9 may include a complex metal hydride or include a metal hydride (e.g., MgH2), said complex metal hydride including an amino compound (e.g., LiNH2, Mg(NH2)2) and / or an aluminum hydride (e.g., NaAlH4, LiAlH4).

[0045] Furthermore, the mixing ratio of the first storage body 7 and the second storage body 9 is set such that the first storage body 7 accounts for 10% or more but less than 90% of the total, thereby allowing the second storage body 9 to release hydrogen through heating of the first storage body 7.

[0046] That is, the ratio can be expressed as first storage volume : second storage volume = x : y, (10 ≤ x ≤ 90, x + y = 100).

[0047] For reference, the storage medium can of course be implemented in various shapes, such as powder or pellets.

[0048] Since all the storage bodies 1 contained in the storage space are heated as a whole at the same time, it is not necessary to set up heat transfer structures (such as fins or meshes) made of separate heat transfer materials as in the prior art to improve heat transfer efficiency, and the amount of hydrogen discharged is increased compared with the energy input for hydrogen discharge, thereby greatly improving hydrogen discharge efficiency.

[0049] Since the magnetic field applied to the storage body 1 only causes a heating reaction, the solid hydrogen storage system according to the invention may further include a cooling pipe 11 in which a refrigerant flows to cool the storage body 1 contained in the storage container 3.

[0050] That is, in Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, the storage container 3 includes an inner shell 13 and an outer shell 15, the inner shell 13 being configured to house the storage body 1, and the outer shell 15 being configured to surround the inner shell 13. A coil 5 is helically disposed between the inner shell 13 and the outer shell 15 and surrounds the inner shell 13. A cooling pipe 11 for supplying refrigerant flow is installed between the inner shell 13 and the outer shell 15 to cool the storage body 1 housed in the inner shell 13.

[0051] The solid-state hydrogen storage system according to the invention may further include: a pump configured to pump refrigerant such that the refrigerant flows along the cooling pipe 11; and various types of devices, such as valves connected to the cooling pipe 11. The solid-state hydrogen storage system may further include a power supply device for supplying power to the coil 5.

[0052] Figure 2 Another embodiment of the solid hydrogen storage system according to the invention is shown, wherein a cooling pipe 11 for refrigerant flow is installed to pass through the interior of the inner shell 13 to cool the storage body 1 housed in the inner shell 13.

[0053] That is, the system according to another implementation scheme and Figure 1 The system shown is the same, but the mounting structure of the cooling pipe 11 is the same. Figure 1 The systems shown are different.

[0054] The system can simultaneously include Figure 1 The installation structure of the cooling pipe 11 shown and Figure 2 The installation structure of the cooling pipe 11 is shown. Furthermore, a configuration in which the refrigerant flows along the entire periphery of the inner shell 13 can be implemented.

[0055] According to the solid hydrogen storage system of the present invention as described above, the storage body 1, housed in the storage container 3, can be heated in a non-contact manner by applying a magnetic field to the storage body 1. Therefore, there is a high degree of design freedom related to the shape and size of the system, the system has a large capacity, and the system can be applied to a variety of application fields.

[0056] While specific exemplary embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and alterations may be made to the invention without departing from the technical spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A storage system for storing solid hydrogen, comprising: Multiple storage cells, comprising two or more solid hydrogen storage materials with different magnetic intensities; A storage container configured to accommodate the plurality of storage units; and A coil, disposed within the storage container and configured to apply a variable magnetic field to a storage medium contained within the storage container. The plurality of storage bodies include: A first storage medium having one or more first solid hydrogen storage materials selected from two or more solid hydrogen storage materials, and comprising a ferromagnetic element; and The second storage body has one or more second solid hydrogen storage materials among two or more solid hydrogen storage materials, and includes a non-ferromagnetic solid hydrogen storage material.

2. The storage system for storing solid hydrogen according to claim 1, wherein, The hydrogen storage capacity and hydrogen discharge temperature of the one or more first solid hydrogen storage materials are respectively less than those of the one or more second solid hydrogen storage materials.

3. The storage system for storing solid hydrogen according to claim 1, wherein, The ferromagnetic element contained in the first storage body includes at least one of Fe, Ni, or Co.

4. The storage system for storing solid hydrogen according to claim 1, wherein, The first storage medium includes AB, AB2 and AB5 type hydrogen storage alloys.

5. The storage system for storing solid hydrogen according to claim 1, wherein, The hydrogen discharge temperature of the one or more second solid hydrogen storage materials is higher than that of the one or more first solid hydrogen storage materials.

6. The storage system for storing solid hydrogen according to claim 1, wherein, The one or more second solid-state hydrogen storage materials include one or more of metal hydrides and composite metal hydrides, wherein the composite metal hydrides include aluminum hydrides and amino compounds.

7. The storage system for storing solid hydrogen according to claim 1, wherein, The mixing ratio of the first storage unit and the second storage unit is set such that 10% or more but less than 90% of the plurality of storage units are the first storage units.

8. The storage system for storing solid hydrogen according to claim 1, further comprising a cooling pipe for supplying refrigerant flow to cool a plurality of storage bodies contained in the storage container.

9. The storage system for storing solid hydrogen according to claim 1, wherein, The storage container includes: Inner shell, configured to house the storage body; and The outer shell, configured to surround the inner shell, and The coil is disposed between the inner shell and the outer shell.

10. The storage system for storing solid hydrogen according to claim 9, wherein, A cooling pipe for refrigerant flow is disposed between the inner shell and the outer shell to cool the storage body.

11. The storage system for storing solid hydrogen according to claim 9, wherein, Cooling pipes for refrigerant flow extend through the interior of the inner shell to cool the storage body.

12. The storage system for storing solid hydrogen according to claim 6, wherein, One or more metal hydrides, including MgH2, Materials based on aluminum hydrides include NaAlH4, and Materials based on amino compounds include LiNH2 and Mg(NH2)2.

13. The storage system for storing solid hydrogen according to claim 11, wherein, The cooling pipe extends through the interior of the inner shell and extends outward in a U-shape from the interior of the inner shell.

14. The storage system for storing solid hydrogen according to claim 13, wherein, The upper part of the storage container extends upward and outward, such that the cooling pipe extends upward and outward from the inside of the inner shell, parallel to the upper part of the storage container.

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