Automotive storage of hydrogen in alane.
Although alane (AlH{sub 3}) has many interesting properties as a hydrogen storage material, it cannot be regenerated on-board a vehicle. One way of overcoming this limitation is to formulate an alane slurry that can be easily loaded into a fuel tank and removed for off-board regeneration. In this paper, we analyze the performance of an on-board hydrogen storage system that uses alane slurry as the hydrogen carrier. A model for the on-board storage system was developed to analyze the AlH{sub 3} decomposition kinetics, heat transfer requirements, stability, startup energy and time, H{sub 2} buffer requirements, storage efficiency, and hydrogen storage capacities. The results from the model indicate that reactor temperatures higher than 200 C are needed to decompose alane at reasonable liquid hourly space velocities, i.e., > 60 h{sup -1}. At the system level, a gravimetric capacity of 4.2 wt% usable hydrogen and a volumetric capacity of 50 g H{sub 2}/L may be achievable with a 70% solids slurry. Under optimum conditions, {approx}80% of the H{sub 2} stored in the slurry may be available for the fuel cell engine. The model indicates that H{sub 2} loss is limited by the decomposition kinetics rather than by the rate of heat transfer from the ambient to the slurry tank.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- EE
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC02-06CH11357
- OSTI ID:
- 967944
- Report Number(s):
- ANL/NE/JA-64310; IJHEDX; TRN: US200924%%148
- Journal Information:
- Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 34, Issue 18 ; Sep. 2009; ISSN 0360-3199
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- ENGLISH
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