Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-5f56664f6-w4vgn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-05-08T06:16:48.590Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

11 - Hydrogen storage

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 January 2010

By
Maximilian Fichtner
Edited by
Michael Ball  and
Martin Wietschel
Michael Ball
Affiliation:
Shell, The Netherlands
Martin Wietschel
Affiliation:
Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research, Karlsruhe, Germany
Get access

Summary

The need for new and sustainable energy technologies is particularly urgent in the transport sector, where energy demands keep growing and give rise to significant global and local pollution. Hydrogen is expected to play a key role in this development (Satyapal et al.,2006). Hydrogen storage is regarded as one of the most critical issues that has to be solved before a technically and economically viable hydrogen economy can be established. In fact, without effective storage systems, a hydrogen economy will be difficult to achieve. One of the most challenging applications in this field is hydrogen storage for mobile applications. This chapter addresses the current state of the various on-board hydrogen-storage systems.

Requirements for hydrogen storage

In hydrogen-fuelled passenger cars, 4–5 kg (130–160 kWh) H2 must be stored in a small, preferably lightweight, tank in order to achieve a driving range of 500 km (i.e., 80–125 km/kg H2). However, whereas the gravimetric energy density of hydrogen is extremely high, the volumetric storage density of the lightweight gas is low. At ambient temperature and pressure, 5 kg H2 would fill a ball 5 m in diameter, which is roughly comparable to the volume of an inflated hot-air balloon. Consequently, the most important technical and economic challenges to be overcome in a practical hydrogen-storage system are the storage density related to the system (including tank, heat management, and valves), the costs of the system, its safety, a short refuelling time, and the ability to deliver enough hydrogen during the driving cycle.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Hydrogen Economy
Opportunities and Challenges
 , pp. 309 - 321
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Book purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Bossel, U., Eliasson, B. and Taylor, G. (2005). The Future of the Hydrogen Economy: Bright or Bleak? Report E08, 26 February 2005, European Fuel Cell Forum, www.efcf.com/reports.Google Scholar
,DWV (2007). Vergleichstabelle für physikalische und chemische Eigenschaften von Wasserstoff und anderen Stoffen (Gasen, Energieträgern). Deutscher Wasserstoff- und Brennstoffzellen-Verband e.V. (German Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association). www.dwv-info.de/wissen/tabellen/wiss_vgl.html.
Eberle, U., Arnold, G. and Helmolt, R. (2006). Hydrogen storage in metal–hydrogen systems and their derivatives. Journal of Power Sources, 154 (2), 456–460.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hirose, K. and Mori, D. (2006). Toyota's vision of the development of hydrogen storage materials for vehicular applications. MH2006 International Symposium on Metal–Hydrogen Systems Fundamentals and Applications, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, 1–6 October, 2006.Google Scholar
,International Energy Agency (IEA) (2007). Medium Term Oil Market Report – July 2007. Paris: OECD/IEA.
Larsen, H., Feidenhans'l, R. and Sønderberg, P. L. (2004). Hydrogen and its Competitors. Risø Energy Report 3. Roskilde: Risø National Laboratory.Google Scholar
Mori, D., Kobayashi, N., Shinozawa, T.et al. (2005). Hydrogen storage materials for fuel cell vehicles high-pressure MH system. Journal of Japan Institute of Metals, 69 (3), 308–311.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Satyapal, S., Read, C., Ordaz, G. and Thomas, G. (2006). Hydrogen Storage. US DOE Hydrogen Program, 2006 Annual Merit Review Proceedings. www.hydrogen.energy.gov/annual_review06_plenary.html.Google Scholar
Satyapal, S., Petrovic, J., Read, C., Thomas, G. and Ordaz, G. (2007). The US Department of Energy's National Hydrogen Storage Project: progress towards meeting hydrogen-powered vehicle requirements. Catalysis Today, 120 (3–4), 246–256.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Züttel, A. (2003). Materials for hydrogen storage. Materials Today, 6 (9), 24–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bossel, U. (2003). The physics of the hydrogen economy. European Fuel Cell News, 10 (2). www.efcf.com/reports.Google Scholar
Fichtner, M. (2005). Nanotechnological aspects in materials for hydrogen storage: review. Advanced Engineering Materials, 7 (6), 443–455.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
,International Energy Association and Hydrogen Implementing Agreement (IEA/HIA) (2006). Hydrogen Production and Storage. R&D Priorities and Gaps. Paris: OECD/IEA.
Satyapal, S., Read, C., Ordaz, G. and Thomas, G. (2006). Hydrogen Storage. US DOE Hydrogen Program, 2006 Annual Merit Review Proceedings. www.hydrogen.energy.gov/annual_review06_plenary.html.Google Scholar
Sørensen, B. (2005). Hydrogen and Fuel Cells. Emerging Technologies and Applications. Elsevier Academic Press.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×