Cryogenic Boil-Off Gas Sorbent Storage for Hydrogen Tanks
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge of hydrogen boil-off in cryogenic storage tanks leads to fuel loss, inefficiency, and safety concerns, particularly in mobile applications due to thermal loading and pressure management issues.
Innovation Solution
A storage system comprising a primary tank for low latent heat of vaporization liquids and a secondary tank with a porous sorbent that reversibly stores boil-off gas, utilizing metal-organic frameworks or similar materials to capture and convert the boil-off gas for energy generation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If venting or pressure relief valves are used to manage boil-off gas, then safety is improved, but energy loss increases and system efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful boil-off gas into a useful resource by capturing it in the secondary storage tank and utilizing it for energy generation through fuel cells or combustion engines, thereby transforming the energy loss into a beneficial energy source
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding boil-off gas through venting, the system recovers it by capturing the gas in the secondary storage tank and recovering its energy content for power generation, eliminating the need for energy loss while maintaining safety
2Loss of energy
If recirculation systems are implemented to capture boil-off gas, then energy efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The storage system is segmented into a primary storage tank for liquid hydrogen and a secondary storage tank for boil-off gas capture, allowing independent operation and simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining energy efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary storage tank acts as an intermediary component between the primary storage tank and the energy utilization system, buffering the boil-off gas and enabling flexible energy recovery without adding complex control mechanisms to the primary system
3Device complexity
If boil-off gas is vented to atmosphere, then pressure management is simplified, but environmental harm increases and energy is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system converts the environmentally harmful venting of hydrogen gas into a beneficial process by capturing the gas in the secondary storage tank and utilizing it for energy generation, thereby eliminating environmental harm while maintaining simple pressure management
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
Efficiently captures and converts boil-off gas, reducing fuel loss and enhancing system efficiency while ensuring safe and flexible operation across various applications.
Implementation Method 1
a secondary storage tank comprising a porous sorbent for reversibly storing a boil-off gas released from the primary storage tank
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a storage system for storing low latent heat of vaporization gases comprises a primary storage tank for storing a liquid having a latent heat of vaporization of less than or equal to 1000 joules per gram, and a secondary storage tank comprising a porous sorbent for reversibly storing a boil-off gas released from the primary storage tank.