United States
Controlled Hydrogen Fleet and Infrastructure Demonstration and Validation Project
Dec 2011
Publication
This report summarizes the work conducted under U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under contract DE-FC36-04GO14285 by Mercedes-Benz & Research Development North America (MBRDNA) Chrysler Daimler Mercedes Benz USA (MBUSA) BP DTE Energy and NextEnergy to validate fuel cell technologies for infrastructure transportation as well as assess technology and commercial readiness for the market. The Mercedes Team together with its partners tested the technology by operating and fuelling hydrogen fuel cell vehicles under real world conditions in varying climate terrain and driving conditions. Vehicle and infrastructure data was collected to monitor the progress toward the hydrogen vehicle and infrastructure performance targets of $2.00 to 3.00/gge hydrogen production cost and 2000-hour fuel cell durability. Finally to prepare the public for a hydrogen economy outreach activities were designed to promote awareness and acceptance of hydrogen technology. DTE BP and NextEnergy established hydrogen filling stations using multiple technologies for on-site hydrogen generation storage and dispensing. DTE established a hydrogen station in Southfield Michigan while NextEnergy and BP worked together to construct one hydrogen station in Detroit. BP constructed another fueling station in Burbank California and provided a full-time hydrogen trailer at San Francisco California and a hydrogen station located at Los Angeles International Airportmore.
Resource Assessment for Hydrogen Production
Jul 2020
Publication
This analysis was conducted in support of the U.S. Department of Energy's H2@Scale initiative and this report examines the resources required to meet demand for an additional 10 million metric tonnes (MMT) of hydrogen in 2040. The technical potential of hydrogen production from fossil nuclear and renewable energy resources is presented. Updated maps describe the geographical distribution of hydrogen production potential from renewable energy resources. The results conclude that the technical resource availability of domestic energy resources is sufficient to meet an additional 10 MMT of hydrogen demand in 2040 without placing significant pressure on existing resources. While this level of hydrogen demand could result in a significant increase in renewable energy consumption in particular the technical potential of each resource is estimated to be sufficient to meet the demand. Future research to enable the large-scale integration of hydrogen in the U.S. energy and other sectors will include analyzing the geographic distribution of resources in relation to hydrogen demand for a variety of applications. Additional techno-economic analysis is also needed to understand the economic potential of hydrogen in other industries beyond transportation; such analysis is currently being undertaken by a multi-lab project initiated by DOE in 2016. Finally information from techno-economic analyses should be used to continually update and inform R&D targets for energy production hydrogen production and hydrogen utilization technologies.
Strength, Hardness, and Ductility Evidence of Solid Solution Strengthening and Limited Hydrogen Embrittlement in the Alloy System Palladium-Copper (Cu wt. % 5–25)
Jul 2021
Publication
Strength hardness and ductility characteristics were determined for a series of palladium-copper alloys that compositionally vary from 5 to 25 weight percent copper. Alloy specimens subjected to vacuum annealing showed clear evidence of solid solution strengthening. These specimens showed as a function of increasing copper content increased yield strength ultimate strength and Vickers microhardness while their ductility was little affected by compositional differences. Annealed alloy specimens subsequently subjected to exposure to hydrogen at 323 K and PH2 = 1 atm showed evidence of hydrogen embrittlement up to a composition of ~15 wt. % Cu. The magnitude of the hydrogen embrittlement decreased with increasing copper content in the alloy.
Development of a Turnkey Hydrogen Fuelling Station
Jul 2010
Publication
The transition to hydrogen as a fuel source presents several challenges. One of the major hurdles is the cost-effective production of hydrogen in small quantities (less than 1MMscf/month). In the early demonstration phase hydrogen can be provided by bulk distribution of liquid or compressed gas from central production plants; however the next phase to fostering the hydrogen economy will likely include onsite generation and extensive pipeline networks to help effect a pervasive infrastructure. Providing inexpensive hydrogen at a fleet operator’s garage or local fuelling station is a key enabling technology for direct hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCVs). The objective of this project was to develop a comprehensive turnkey stand-alone commercial hydrogen fuelling station for FCVs with state-of-the-art technology that is cost-competitive with current hydrocarbon fuels. Such a station would promote the advent of the hydrogen fuel economy for buses fleet vehicles and ultimately personal vehicles. Air Products partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) The Pennsylvania State University Harvest Energy Technology and QuestAir developed a turnkey hydrogen fuelling station on the Penn State campus. Air Products aimed at designing a station that would have 65% overall station efficiency 82% PSA (pressure swing adsorption) efficiency and the capability of producing hydrogen at $3.00/kg (gge) H2 at mass production rates. Air Products designed a fuelling station at Penn State from the ground up. This project was implemented in three phases. The first phase evaluated the various technologies available in hydrogen generation compression storage and gas dispensing. In the second phase Air Products designed the components chosen from the technologies examined. Finally phase three entailed a several-month period of data collection full-scale operation maintenance of the station and optimization of system reliability and performance. Based on field data analysis it was determined by a proprietary hydrogen-analysis model that hydrogen produced from the station at a rate of 1500 kg/day and when produced at 1000 stations per year would be able to deliver hydrogen at a price of $3.03/kg (gge) H2. The station’s efficiency was measured to be 65.1% and the PSA was tested and ran at an efficiency of 82.1% thus meeting the project targets. From the study it was determined that more research was needed in the area of hydrogen fuelling. The overall cost of the hydrogen energy station when combined with the required plot size for scaled-up hydrogen demands demonstrated that a station using steam methane reforming technology as a means to produce on–site hydrogen would have limited utility in the marketplace. Alternative hydrogen supplies such as liquid or pipeline delivery to a refuelling station need to be included in the exploration of alternative energy site layouts. These avenues need to be explored before a definitive refuelling station configuration and commercialization pathway can be determined.
Towards Ecological Alternatives in Bearing Lubrication
Jun 2021
Publication
Hydrogen is the cleanest fuel available because its combustion product is water. The internal combustion engine can in principle and without significant modifications run on hydrogen to produce mechanical energy. Regarding the technological solution leading to compact engines a question to ask is the following: Can combustion engine systems be lubricated with hydrogen? In general since many applications such as in turbomachines is it possible to use the surrounding gas as a lubricant? In this paper journal bearings global parameters are calculated and compared for steady state and dynamic conditions for different gas constituents such as air pentafluoropropane helium and hydrogen. Such a bearing may be promising as an ecological alternative to liquid lubrication.
Hydrogen Blending in Gas Pipeline Networks—A Review
May 2022
Publication
Replacing fossil fuels with non-carbon fuels is an important step towards reaching the ultimate goal of carbon neutrality. Instead of moving directly from the current natural gas energy systems to pure hydrogen an incremental blending of hydrogen with natural gas could provide a seamless transition and minimize disruptions in power and heating source distribution to the public. Academic institutions industry and governments globally are supporting research development and deployment of hydrogen blending projects such as HyDeploy GRHYD THyGA HyBlend and others which are all seeking to develop efficient pathways to meet the carbon reduction goal in coming decades. There is an understanding that successful commercialization of hydrogen blending requires both scientific advances and favorable techno-economic analysis. Ongoing studies are focused on understanding how the properties of methane-hydrogen mixtures such as density viscosity phase interactions and energy densities impact large-scale transportation via pipeline networks and enduse applications such as in modified engines oven burners boilers stoves and fuel cells. The advantages of hydrogen as a non-carbon energy carrier need to be balanced with safety concerns of blended gas during transport such as overpressure and leakage in pipelines. While studies on the short-term hydrogen embrittlement effect have shown essentially no degradation in the metal tensile strength of pipelines the long-term hydrogen embrittlement effect on pipelines is still the focus of research in other studies. Furthermore pressure reduction is one of the drawbacks that hydrogen blending brings to the cost dynamics of blended gas transport. Hence techno-economic models are also being developed to understand the energy transportation efficiency and to estimate the true cost of delivery of hydrogen blended natural gas as we move to decarbonize our energy systems. This review captures key large-scale efforts around the world that are designed to increase the confidence for a global transition to methane-hydrogen gas blends as a precursor to the adoption of a hydrogen economy by 2050.
Physicochemical Properties of Proton-conducting SmNiO3 Epitaxial Films
Mar 2019
Publication
Proton conducting SmNiO3 (SNO) thin films were grown on (001) LaAlO3 substrates for systematically investigating the proton transport properties. X-ray Diffraction and Atomic Force Microscopy studies reveal that the as-grown SNO thin films have good single crystallinity and smooth surface morphology. The electrical conductivity measurements in air indicate a peak at 473 K in the temperature dependence of the resistance of the SNO films probably due to oxygen loss on heating. A Metal-Insulator-Transition occurs at 373 K for the films after annealing at 873 K in air. In a hydrogen atmosphere (3% H2/97% N2) an anomalous peak in the resistance is found at 685 K on the first heating cycle. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy studies as a function of temperature indicate that the SNO films have a high ionic conductivity (0.030 S/cm at 773 K) in a hydrogen atmosphere. The activation energy for proton conductivity was determined to be 0.23 eV at 473–773 K and 0.37 eV at 773–973 K respectively. These findings demonstrate that SNO thin films have good proton conductivity and are good candidate electrolytes for low temperature proton-conducting Solid Oxide Fuel Cells.
Microwave Absorption of Aluminum/Hydrogen Treated Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles
Dec 2018
Publication
Interactions between incident electromagnetic energy and matter are of critical importance for numerous civil and military applications such as photocatalysis solar cells optics radar detection communications information processing and transport et al. Traditional mechanisms for such interactions in the microwave frequency mainly rely on dipole rotations and magnetic domain resonance. In this study we present the first report of the microwave absorption of Al/H2 treated TiO2 nanoparticles where the Al/H2 treatment not only induces structural and optical property changes but also largely improves the microwave absorption performance of TiO2 nanoparticles. Moreover the frequency of the microwave absorption can be finely controlled with the treatment temperature and the absorption efficiency can reach optimal values with a careful temperature tuning. A large reflection loss of −58.02 dB has been demonstrated with 3.1 mm TiO2 coating when the treating temperature is 700 °C. The high efficiency of microwave absorption is most likely linked to the disordering-induced property changes in the materials. Along with the increased microwave absorption properties are largely increased visible-light and IR absorptions and enhanced electrical conductivity and reduced skin-depth which is likely related to the interfacial defects within the TiO2 nanoparticles caused by the Al/H2 treatment.
Overview of Biomass Conversion to Electricity and Hydrogen and Recent Developments in Low-Temperature Electrochemical Approaches
Nov 2020
Publication
Biomass is plant or animal material that stores both chemical and solar energies and that is widely used for heat production and various industrial processes. Biomass contains a large amount of the element hydrogen so it is an excellent source for hydrogen production. Therefore biomass is a sustainable source for electricity or hydrogen production. Although biomass power plants and reforming plants have been commercialized it remains a difficult challenge to develop more effective and economic technologies to further improve the conversion efficiency and reduce the environmental impacts in the conversion process. The use of biomass-based flow fuel cell technology to directly convert biomass to electricity and the use of electrolysis technology to convert biomass into hydrogen at a low temperature are two new research areas that have recently attracted interest. This paper first briefly introduces traditional technologies related to the conversion of biomass to electricity and hydrogen and then reviews the new developments in flow biomass fuel cells (FBFCs) and biomass electrolysis for hydrogen production (BEHP) in detail. Further challenges in these areas are discussed.
Non-precious Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Evolution Reaction in Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis: A Mini Review
Sep 2021
Publication
Anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) is considered the next generation of green hydrogen production method because it uses low-cost non-noble metal oxide electrocatalyst electrodes and can store highpurity hydrogen under high pressure. However the commercialization of AEMWE with non-precious metal oxide electrocatalysts is challenging due to low electrocatalytic activity and durability. Overcoming the low kinetics caused by four-electron transfer is vital in addressing the low activity of non-noble metal oxide electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction. This article overviews the synthesis methods and related techniques for various anode electrodes applied to AEMWE systems. We highlight effective strategies that have been developed to improve the performance and durability of the non-precious electrocatalysts and ensure the stable operation of AEMWE followed by a critical perspective to encourage the development of this technology.
Corrosion Mechanisms of High-Mn Twinning-Induced Plasticity (TWIP) Steels: A Critical Review
Feb 2021
Publication
Twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) steels have higher strength and ductility than conventional steels. Deformation mechanisms producing twins that prevent gliding and stacking of dislocations cause a higher ductility than that of steel grades with the same strength. TWIP steels are considered to be within the new generation of advanced high-strength steels (AHSS). However some aspects such as the corrosion resistance and performance in service of TWIP steel materials need more research. Application of TWIP steels in the automotive industry requires a proper investigation of corrosion behavior and corrosion mechanisms which would indicate the optimum degree of protection and the possible decrease in costs. In general Fe−Mn-based TWIP steel alloys can passivate in oxidizing acid neutral and basic solutions however they cannot passivate in reducing acid or active chloride solutions. TWIP steels have become as a potential material of interest for automotive applications due to their effectiveness impact resistance and negligible harm to the environment. The mechanical and corrosion performance of TWIP steels is subjected to the manufacturing and processing steps like forging and casting elemental composition and thermo-mechanical treatment. Corrosion of TWIP steels caused by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors has posed a serious problem for their use. Passivity breakdown caused by pitting and galvanic corrosion due to phase segregation are widely described and their critical mechanisms examined. Numerous studies have been performed to study corrosion behaviour and passivation of TWIP steel. Despite the large number of articles on corrosion few comprehensive reports have been published on this topic. The current trend for development of corrosion resistance TWIP steel is thoroughly studied and represented showing the key mechanisms and factors influencing corrosion processes and its consequences on TWIP steel. In addition suggestions for future works and gaps in the literature are considered.
Economic Analysis of a High-pressure Urban Pipeline Concept (HyLine) for Delivering Hydrogen to Retail Fueling Stations
Nov 2019
Publication
Reducing the cost of delivering hydrogen to fuelling stations and dispensing it into fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) is one critical element of efforts to increase the cost-competitiveness of FCEVs. Today hydrogen is primarily delivered to stations by trucks. Pipeline delivery is much rarer: one urban U.S. station has been supplied with 800-psi hydrogen from an industrial hydrogen pipeline since 2011 and a German station on the edge of an industrial park has been supplied with 13000-psi hydrogen from a pipeline since 2006. This article compares the economics of existing U.S. hydrogen delivery methods with the economics of a high-pressure scalable intra-city pipeline system referred to here as the “HyLine” system. In the HyLine system hydrogen would be produced at urban industrial or commercial sites compressed to 15000 psi stored at centralized facilities delivered via high-pressure pipeline to retail stations and dispensed directly into FCEVs. Our analysis of retail fuelling station economics in Los Angeles suggests that as FCEV demand for hydrogen in an area becomes sufficiently dense pipeline hydrogen delivery gains an economic advantage over truck delivery. The HyLine approach would also enable cheaper dispensed hydrogen compared with lower-pressure pipeline delivery owing to economies of scale associated with integrated compression and storage. In the largest-scale fuelling scenario analyzed (a network of 24 stations with capacities of 1500 kg/d each and hydrogen produced via steam methane reforming) HyLine could potentially achieve a profited hydrogen cost of $5.3/kg which is approximately equivalent to a gasoline cost of $2.7/gal (assuming FCEVs offer twice the fuel economy of internal combustion engine vehicles and vehicle cost is competitive). It is important to note that significant effort would be required to develop technical knowledge codes and standards that would enable a HyLine system to be viable. However our preliminary analysis suggests that the HyLine approach merits further consideration based on its potential economic advantages. These advantages could also include the value of minimizing retail space used by hydrogen compression and storage sited at fuelling stations which is not reflected in our analysis.
Nickel-Based Electrocatalysts for Water Electrolysis
Feb 2022
Publication
Currently hydrogen production is based on the reforming process leading to the emission of pollutants; therefore a substitute production method is imminently required. Water electrolysis is an ideal alternative for large-scale hydrogen production as it does not produce any carbon-based pollutant byproducts. The production of green hydrogen from water electrolysis using intermittent sources (e.g. solar and eolic sources) would facilitate clean energy storage. However the electrocatalysts currently required for water electrolysis are noble metals making this potential option expensive and inaccessible for industrial applications. Therefore there is a need to develop electrocatalysts based on earth-abundant and low-cost metals. Nickel-based electrocatalysts are a fitting alternative because they are economically accessible. Extensive research has focused on developing nickel-based electrocatalysts for hydrogen and oxygen evolution. Theoretical and experimental work have addressed the elucidation of these electrochemical processes and the role of heteroatoms structure and morphology. Even though some works tend to be contradictory they have lit up the path for the development of efficient nickel-based electrocatalysts. For these reasons a review of recent progress is presented herein.
A Solar Thermal Sorption-enhanced Steam Methane Reforming (SE-SMR) Approach and its Performance Assessment
Feb 2022
Publication
This paper proposes an integration of concentrating solar power (CSP) with a sorption-enhanced steam methane reforming (SE-SMR) process and assesses its overall solar-to-fuel conversion performance. A thermodynamic treatment of the SE-SMR process for H2 production is presented and evaluated in an innovative two reactors system configuration using CSP as a heat input. Four metal carbonate/metal oxide pairs are considered and the equilibrium thermodynamics reveals that CaCO3/CaO pair is the most suitable candidate for this process. Additionally a reactor-scale thermodynamic model is developed to determine the optimum operating conditions for the process. For the carbonation step temperatures between 700 and 900 K and steam-to-methane ratio ≥4 are found to be the most favorable. Furthermore an advanced process model which utilizes operating conditions determined from the reactor-scale model is developed to evaluate the process efficiency. The model predicts that the proposed process can achieve a solar-to-fuel efficiency ~41% for calcination temperature of 1500 K and carbonation temperature of 800 K without considering any solid heat recovery. An additional 2.5% increase in the process efficiency is feasible with the consideration of the solid heat recovery. This study shows the thermodynamic feasibility of integrating the SE-SMR process with CSP technologies.
Hydrogen Refuelling Reference Station Lot Size Analysis for Urban Sites
Mar 2020
Publication
Hydrogen Fuelling Infrastructure Research and Station Technology (H2FIRST) is a project initiated by the DOE in 2015 and executed by Sandia National Laboratories and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to address R&D barriers to the deployment of hydrogen fuelling infrastructure. One key barrier to the deployment of fuelling stations is the land area they require (i.e. ""footprint""). Space is particularly a constraint in dense urban areas where hydrogen demand is high but space for fuelling stations is limited. This work presents current fire code requirements that inform station footprint then identifies and quantifies opportunities to reduce footprint without altering the safety profile of fuelling stations. Opportunities analyzed include potential new methods of hydrogen delivery as well as alternative placements of station technologies (i.e. rooftop/underground fuel storage). As interest in heavy-duty fuelling stations and other markets for hydrogen grows this study can inform techniques to reduce the footprint of heavy-duty stations as well.
This work characterizes generic designs for stations with a capacity of 600 kg/day hydrogen dispensed and 4 dispenser hoses. Three base case designs (delivered gas delivered liquid and on-site electrolysis production) have been modified in 5 different ways to study the impacts of recently released fire code changes colocation with gasoline refuelling alternate delivery assumptions underground storage of hydrogen and rooftop storage of hydrogen resulting in a total of 32 different station designs. The footprints of the base case stations range from 13000 to 21000 ft2.
A significant focus of this study is the NFPA 2 requirements especially the prescribed setback distances for bulk gaseous or liquid hydrogen storage. While the prescribed distances are large in some cases these setback distances are found to have a nuanced impact on station lot size; considerations of the delivery truck path traffic flow parking and convenience store location are also important. Station designs that utilize underground and rooftop storage can reduce footprint but may not be practical or economical. For example burying hydrogen storage tanks underground can reduce footprint but the cost savings they enable depend on the cost of burial and the cost land. Siting and economic analysis of station lot sizes illustrate the benefit of smaller station footprints in the flexibility and cost savings they can provide. This study can be used as a reference that provides examples of the key design differences that fuelling stations can incorporate the approximate sizes of generic station lots and considerations that might be unique to particular designs.
This work characterizes generic designs for stations with a capacity of 600 kg/day hydrogen dispensed and 4 dispenser hoses. Three base case designs (delivered gas delivered liquid and on-site electrolysis production) have been modified in 5 different ways to study the impacts of recently released fire code changes colocation with gasoline refuelling alternate delivery assumptions underground storage of hydrogen and rooftop storage of hydrogen resulting in a total of 32 different station designs. The footprints of the base case stations range from 13000 to 21000 ft2.
A significant focus of this study is the NFPA 2 requirements especially the prescribed setback distances for bulk gaseous or liquid hydrogen storage. While the prescribed distances are large in some cases these setback distances are found to have a nuanced impact on station lot size; considerations of the delivery truck path traffic flow parking and convenience store location are also important. Station designs that utilize underground and rooftop storage can reduce footprint but may not be practical or economical. For example burying hydrogen storage tanks underground can reduce footprint but the cost savings they enable depend on the cost of burial and the cost land. Siting and economic analysis of station lot sizes illustrate the benefit of smaller station footprints in the flexibility and cost savings they can provide. This study can be used as a reference that provides examples of the key design differences that fuelling stations can incorporate the approximate sizes of generic station lots and considerations that might be unique to particular designs.
Sub-second and Ppm-level Optical Sensing of Hydrogen Using Templated Control of Nano-hydride Geometry and Composition
Apr 2021
Publication
The use of hydrogen as a clean and renewable alternative to fossil fuels requires a suite of flammability mitigating technologies particularly robust sensors for hydrogen leak detection and concentration monitoring. To this end we have developed a class of lightweight optical hydrogen sensors based on a metasurface of Pd nano-patchy particle arrays which fulfills the increasing requirements of a safe hydrogen fuel sensing system with no risk of sparking. The structure of the optical sensor is readily nano-engineered to yield extraordinarily rapid response to hydrogen gas (<3 s at 1 mbar H2) with a high degree of accuracy (<5%). By incorporating 20% Ag Au or Co the sensing performances of the Pd-alloy sensor are significantly enhanced especially for the Pd80Co20 sensor whose optical response time at 1 mbar of H2 is just ~0.85 s while preserving the excellent accuracy (<2.5%) limit of detection (2.5 ppm) and robustness against aging temperature and interfering gases. The superior performance of our sensor places it among the fastest and most sensitive optical hydrogen sensors.
Blind-prediction: Estimating the Consequences of Vented Hydrogen Deflagrations for Homogeneous Mixtures in a 20-foot ISO Container
Sep 2017
Publication
Trygve Skjold,
Helene Hisken,
Sunil Lakshmipathy,
Gordon Atanga,
Marco Carcassi,
Martino Schiavetti,
James R. Stewart,
A. Newton,
James R. Hoyes,
Ilias C. Tolias,
Alexandros G. Venetsanos,
Olav Roald Hansen,
J. Geng,
Asmund Huser,
Sjur Helland,
Romain Jambut,
Ke Ren,
Alexei Kotchourko,
Thomas Jordan,
Jérome Daubech,
Guillaume Lecocq,
Arve Grønsund Hanssen,
Chenthil Kumar,
Laurent Krumenacker,
Simon Jallais,
D. Miller and
Carl Regis Bauwens
This paper summarises the results from a blind-prediction study for models developed for estimating the consequences of vented hydrogen deflagrations. The work is part of the project Improving hydrogen safety for energy applications through pre-normative research on vented deflagrations (HySEA). The scenarios selected for the blind-prediction entailed vented explosions with homogeneous hydrogen-air mixtures in a 20-foot ISO container. The test program included two configurations and six experiments i.e. three repeated tests for each scenario. The comparison between experimental results and model predictions reveals reasonable agreement for some of the models and significant discrepancies for others. It is foreseen that the first blind-prediction study in the HySEA project will motivate developers to improve their models and to update guidelines for users of the models.
Comparison of Conventional vs. Modular Hydrogen Refuelling Stations and On-Site Production vs. Delivery
Mar 2017
Publication
To meet the needs of public and private stakeholders involved in the development construction and operation of hydrogen fuelling stations needed to support the widespread roll-out of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles this work presents publicly available station templates and analyses. These ‘Reference Stations’ help reduce the cost and speed the deployment of hydrogen stations by providing a common baseline with which to start a design enable quick assessment of potential sites for a hydrogen station identify contributors to poor economics and suggest areas of research. This work presents layouts bills of materials piping and instrumentation diagrams and detailed analyses of five new station designs. In the near term delivered hydrogen results in a lower cost of hydrogen compared to on-site production via steam methane reforming or electrolysis although the on-site production methods have other advantages. Modular station concepts including on-site production can reduce lot sizes from conventional assemble-on-site stations.
Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Vehicles UN Global Technical Regulation No. 13: Latest Updates Reflecting Heavy Duty Vehicles
Sep 2019
Publication
This paper provides a detailed technical description of the United Nations Global Technical Regulation No. 13 (UN GTR #13) 1998 Agreement and contracting party obligations phase 2 activity and safety provisions being discussed and developed for heavy duty hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
A Manganese Hydride Molecular Sieve for Practical Hydrogen Storage Under Ambient Conditions
Dec 2018
Publication
A viable hydrogen economy has thus far been hampered by the lack of an inexpensive and convenient hydrogen storage solution meeting all requirements especially in the areas of long hauls and delivery infrastructure. Current approaches require high pressure and/or complex heat management systems to achieve acceptable storage densities. Herein we present a manganese hydride molecular sieve that can be readily synthesized from inexpensive precursors and demonstrates a reversible excess adsorption performance of 10.5 wt% and 197 kgH2 m-3 at 120 bar at ambient temperature with no loss of activity after 54 cycles. Inelastic neutron scattering and computational studies confirm Kubas binding as the principal mechanism. The thermodynamically neutral adsorption process allows for a simple system without the need for heat management using moderate pressure as a toggle. A storage material with these properties will allow the DOE system targets for storage and delivery to be achieved providing a practical alternative to incumbents such as 700 bar systems which generally provide volumetric storage values of 40 kgH2 m-3 or less while retaining advantages over batteries such as fill time and energy density. Reasonable estimates for production costs and loss of performance due to system implementation project total energy storage costs roughly 5 times cheaper than those for 700 bar tanks potentially opening doors for increased adoption of hydrogen as an energy vector.
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