Boil-Off Hydrogen Adsorption Storage for Liquid Fuel Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Liquefied hydrogen systems face significant boil-off losses due to hydrogen's ultra-low boiling point, leading to inefficiencies in storage and utilization, particularly in heavy-duty vehicles and industrial applications where space and payload capacity are limited.
Innovation Solution
A liquefied gas system that captures boil-off gas using an adsorbent to reversibly store and desorb it for later use, increasing hydrogen storage capacity without the need for elevated pressures or temperatures below the critical temperature, utilizing adsorbents like metal organic frameworks, porous activated carbon, or zeolites.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If liquefied hydrogen is stored in a vessel, then volumetric storage capacity is improved, but boil-off losses increase due to ultra-low boiling point
Solution Approach 1:
The patent captures the harmful boil-off hydrogen gas that would otherwise be lost and converts it into a beneficial resource by adsorbing it onto solid adsorbent material. The adsorbent vessel captures boil-off hydrogen from the liquid hydrogen vessel and stores it reversibly, transforming the waste loss into recoverable fuel that can be desorbed and reused.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs porous adsorbent materials with high surface area and pore structures that can reversibly adsorb hydrogen molecules. These porous materials provide extensive surface area for hydrogen adsorption, enabling efficient capture and storage of boil-off hydrogen without requiring high pressure or low temperature conditions.
2Ease of operation
If high pressure tanks are used for gaseous hydrogen storage, then ease of operation is improved, but volumetric storage capacity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses porous adsorbent materials that can store significant amounts of hydrogen in a compact volume without requiring high pressure. The porous structure provides extensive internal surface area for hydrogen adsorption, achieving high volumetric storage capacity at atmospheric or near-atmospheric pressures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite adsorbent materials such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) that combine metallic nodes with organic linkers to create porous structures with high hydrogen adsorption capacity. These composite materials offer both high volumetric storage and ease of operation at moderate pressures.
3Loss of substance
If adsorbent is used to capture boil-off gas, then loss of substance is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the hydrogen storage and boil-off capture functions into an integrated system where the adsorbent vessel is connected to the liquid hydrogen vessel. The adsorbent material performs dual functions of capturing boil-off hydrogen and providing additional storage capacity, simplifying the overall system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The adsorbent system operates passively to capture boil-off hydrogen without requiring active control or energy input. The adsorption process occurs automatically as boil-off gas contacts the adsorbent material, and desorption can be achieved by simple heating or pressure reduction, enabling self-service operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively captures and reuses boil-off hydrogen, enhancing storage capacity and reducing losses, making it suitable for heavy-duty vehicles and industrial equipment by maintaining atmospheric pressure and ambient temperature operations.
Implementation Method 1
an adsorbent vessel containing at least one adsorbent for reversibly adsorbing and storing boil-off hydrogen emitted from the liquid hydrogen vessel
Implementation Method 2
for reversibly adsorbing and storing boil-off hydrogen emitted from the liquid hydrogen vessel, and a means for delivering the stored boil-off hydrogen from the adsorbent vessel to the system endpoint
Data Source
AI summary
A liquefied gas system for capturing boil-off gas and reversibly adsorbing the boil-off gas on an adsorbent for later desorption and use comprises a first vessel for storing liquefied gas; a means for delivering gas from the first vessel to a system endpoint; a second vessel for storing boil-off gas emitted from the first vessel, the second vessel containing at least one adsorbent; a means for delivering boil-off gas from the first vessel to the second vessel, whereby the boil-off gas is reversibly stored on the at least one adsorbent; and a means for delivering the stored boil-off gas from the second vessel to the system endpoint. Also disclosed is a method of capturing boil-off gas from a liquefied gas system, wherein the captured boil-off gas is captured on an adsorbent for further use in the system. In one embodiment of the system and the method, the liquefied gas is liquid hydrogen, and the captured boil-off gas is used to power a hydrogen fuel cell.