Hydride Storage Compression Module for High-Pressure Tank Filling
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing hydrogen fuelling infrastructure incurs significant losses and high capital and operating expenditures due to multiple steps involving hydrogen production, compression, and storage, with existing metal hydride compressors operating at fixed compression ratios and requiring pre-cooling, which increases the end price of hydrogen.
Innovation Solution
A combined hydrogen storage-compression module with a variable output pressure, utilizing a pressurized vessel with a hydrogen storage alloy, a heating system, a cooling system, and a thermal management system to control temperature and pressure, allowing for a progressive ramp-up of pressure without significant expansion, enabling filling of high-pressure hydrogen tanks without pre-cooling and minimizing energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stress or pressure
If multiple compression stages are used to achieve high pressure hydrogen storage, then the final pressure can be reached, but the system complexity and capital expenditure increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines storage and compression functions into a single integrated system. The metal hydride bed simultaneously stores hydrogen and provides compression through thermal management, eliminating the need for separate compression stages and reducing overall system complexity while achieving high pressures up to 700 bar.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical compression systems with a thermally-driven metal hydride-based compression mechanism. By controlling temperature rather than using mechanical compressors, the system achieves high pressure hydrogen storage without the complexity of multiple mechanical compression stages.
2Productivity
If pre-cooling is applied to reduce expansion during filling, then the filling process becomes more efficient, but energy consumption and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the thermal energy that would normally be wasted during compression into a useful resource. The exothermic absorption process generates heat that is captured and stored, then reused during desorption to drive the reverse reaction, eliminating the need for external pre-cooling while maintaining high filling efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is self-sufficient in thermal management. The heat generated during hydrogen absorption is stored and automatically reused during desorption to drive the hydrogen release process, eliminating the need for external energy input for pre-cooling while maintaining high productivity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If metal hydride compressors operate at fixed compression ratios, then the system is simpler to design, but the adaptability to different pressure requirements is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic system where the compression ratio is not fixed but varies based on thermal management. By dynamically adjusting temperature control during absorption and desorption cycles, the system can adapt to different pressure requirements (up to 700 bar) without requiring complex control mechanisms, as the metal hydride physics naturally provides the variable compression ratio.
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 efficiently fills high-pressure hydrogen tanks with a pressure differential of less than 100 bar, reducing energy consumption and minimizing component requirements, while maintaining a high hydrogen storage capacity and operational reliability.
Implementation Method 1
Metal hydrides are commonly used for the storage of hydrogen under low pressures as many metals and alloys are capable of reversibly absorbing significant amounts of hydrogen
Implementation Method 2
a heating system adapted to increase the temperature of the storage system in order to increase the pressure
Implementation Method 3
a cooling system that can remove the heat of reaction during absorption and/or reduce the pressure of the system on demand
Implementation Method 4
a thermal management system for the control of said heating and said cooling system
Data Source
AI summary
The present relates to a combined hydrogen storage-compression unit suitable for the filling of high-pressure (350 bar and beyond) hydrogen vessels. It includes a containment vessel filled with a hydrogen storage alloy, a heating system, a cooling system and a thermal management system. The same shall be connected directly to the hydrogen supply (e.g. an electrolyser) on one side and to the end consumer on the other side. Moreover, it offers the possibility for intermediate storage of at least one time the maximal quantity of hydrogen that is to be supplied at high pressure in a single step.