Fundamental problems of hydrogen and renewable energy and fuel all technologies

Developing sources of hydrogen for fuel cells

Scheme MH particular source of pure hydrogen for fuel cells:
1 - metal hydride;
2 - ceramic filter;
3 - gauge of the safety membrane;
4- cylinder of stainless steel;
5 shut-off valve.

Area of applications

Metal hydride storage can be used as for safe and compact hydrogen storage and so to solve some other problems:
1 hydrogen purification (removing impurities from hydrogen till to units of ppm).
2. Separation of hydrogen, hydrogen from a mixture containing from 1 to 90% non-hydrogen atoms and molecules.
3. Separation of protium, deuterium and tritium isotopes.
4. Compression of hydrogen, hydrogen is adsorbed at low temperature and is desorbed at higher temperatures, creating a high pressure.
5. Accumulation of heat, a process based on the use of the thermal effect (20-60 kJ / mol) of the reaction hydrogenation / dehydrogenation to absorb or release heat.
For more than 50 years, humanity tries to use properties of metals and alloys to adsorb hydrogen for solving of various scientific and technical problems. During this time many chemical elements and their alloys and compounds were studied. Taking into account the peculiarities of thermodynamics of processes hydrogen sorption and desorption, which depend on the chemical composition of solids which undergoes reaction of hydrogen sorption, metal hydrides are already widely used in many industrial processes.
Hydrogen storage device is made from high pressure stainless steel cylinder and placed in it the working alloy. Multicomponent composition of hydride systems provides the ability to create storage devices with controlled hydrogen content and their work under the given thermodynamic conditions. The systematic study of hydride systems expands fields of their use.

Expected properties

MH source of especially pure hydrogen for fuel cells will be safe, will provide hydrogen pressure 0,2 0,5 MPa at room temperature.

Advantages

Interest to metal hydrides is due to their high hydrogen sorption ability. In a container filled with metal hydrides, one can save hydrogen quantity 2-3 times more than if to fill the same capacity with liquid hydrogen. The method of storing hydrogen in metal hydride is favorable comparing with gas bottle method and cryogenic. It is safe and requires lower maintenance costs.

Competitors

Іnstitute for Problems of Chemical Physics RAS (Russian Academy of Sciences)

Project development

Theoretical research processes of ordering hydrogen systems are conducted, which allowed to determine the degree of ordering of the alloy depending on its composition and temperature, to determine concentration dependence of the phase transition order-disorder temperature and possible effect of the composition and heat treatment on some properties of alloys.
Simulation, design and manufacture of hydrogen storage device for fuel cells will be conducted.

Intellectual property

It will be given an application for a patent of Ukraine for invention.

Contact information

Frantsevich Institute for Problems of Materials Science of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

Project 13 «Development of a hydrogen source for fuel cells».

Project leader:

Schur Dmitry V.

Project Manager,
Head of Department

Tel. +38 044 424-03-81

Е-mail: dmitryschur@gmail.ua