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Title: Hydrogen Storage in Wind Turbine Towers: Design Considerations; Preprint

Conference ·
OSTI ID:15004828

The paramount considerations associated with a hydrogen tower are corrosion (in the form of hydrogen embrittlement) and structural failure (through bursting or fatigue life degradation). Although hydrogen embrittlement (HE) requires more research and experimentation, it does not appear to prohibit the use of turbine towers for hydrogen storage. Furthermore, the structural modifications required to store hydrogen in a tower are technically feasible. We discovered that hydrogen towers have a''crossover pressure'' at which their critical mode of failure crosses over from fatigue to bursting. The crossover pressure for many turbine towers is between 10 and 15 atm. The cost of hydrogen storage per unit of storage capacity is lowest near the crossover pressure. Above the crossover pressure, however, storage costs rise quickly.

Research Organization:
National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO. (US)
Sponsoring Organization:
US Department of Energy (US)
DOE Contract Number:
AC36-99-GO10337
OSTI ID:
15004828
Report Number(s):
NREL/CP-500-34759; TRN: US200321%%217
Resource Relation:
Conference: Windpower 2004, Chicago, IL (US), 03/28/2004--03/31/2004; Other Information: PBD: 1 Sep 2003
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English