Improving hydrogen storage
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The storage of hydrogen using magnesium powder could be a very interesting option.
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BY INCREASING the working temperature of a fuel cell the storage of hydrogen in fuel cell powered cars can probably be greatly improved.
The storage of hydrogen can take place more efficiently and safely and at a higher temperature with the use of magnesium powder.
The storage of hydrogen, for use in vehicles, for example is one of the main problems in the transition to a hydrogen economy. Currently, this is done by storing the gas at high pressures or very low temperatures.
Suitable for buses
Delft researcher, Gijs Schimmel, finds the high pressure option suitable for use in buses, "After all, on a bus there is space for a few high pressure cylinders. In cars this is not the case.
Also, with such a tank, you are dealing with pressures of up to 350 bars, while in the case of LPG tanks, the pressure is restricted to 10 bars for safety reasons."
Schimmel therefore studied the possibilities of storage of hydrogen in powdered magnesium during his research at the Delft Institute for Sustainable Energy.
Hydrogen storage in these kinds of metal hydrides has been researched for a long time, but according to Schimmel, the problem remains that too much energy and too high a temperature is needed to extract the hydrogen from the compound, which negatively affects the efficiency of the process.
Excess heat
An adjustment in the fuel cell itself may provide a solution, Schimmel points out. The `excess heat' from the fuel cell could be used to efficiently extract hydrogen from the storage tank.
If the fuel cell were to work at a higher temperature than normal (between 200 and 300°C instead of 80°C for most current fuel cells), then the `excess heat' from the fuel cell could be used to efficiently extract hydrogen from the storage tank.
In this way, the storage of hydrogen using magnesium powder could be a very interesting option. A higher working temperature means that less deterioration of the catalysts takes place. This is an additional advantage.
Great demand
The latter is also the reason that there is a great demand for new types of fuel cells.
Schimmel is optimistic, "But like with many other developments involving hydrogen, it always remains to be seen whether the high expectations are met.
If this idea works, a method and an infrastructure would also have to be developed to be able to `fill up' on magnesium hydride."— Our Bureau
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