Scientists from the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) made small hydrogen storage vessels using light aluminum-containing materials and demonstrated that its hydrogen release rate is suitable for powering small commercial fuel cells. Making a portable power generation system paves the way for both military and commercial applications.
The SRNL research team demonstrated how to use aluminum trihydride and similar high-performance hydrogen storage materials to make portable power generation systems. Aluminum hydride, like other metal hydrides, can also provide a solid-state storage medium for hydrogen. However, aluminum hydride has a great advantage: it has a very high hydrogen storage capacity and can store twice as much hydrogen as liquid hydrogen. In addition, it also has a lower quality and a favorable discharge state. All of these make it one of the ideal chemical hydrogen storage materials.
However, currently commercially available aluminum hydride is very limited, and the production cost is high, hindering its wide application. The researchers stated that their research has overcome many of the obstacles in the traditional production method of aluminum trihydride. The new method can use the solution to a minimum extent and produce a pure, halide-free aluminum trihydride. At the same time, the research team can also use another process to double the amount of hydrogen extracted from aluminum trihydride. These developments also laid the foundation for the development of a new type of low-cost aluminum trihydride production. The research team has developed a small system to produce trials and improve the aluminum trihydride required for the study.
Another focus of this study was to evaluate the compatibility of aluminum hydride systems and small fuel cell applications. Preliminary results based on a test vessel containing approximately 22 grams of aluminum trihydride show that this system can well meet the required hydrogen release rate for a 100-watt fuel cell system. The system can operate for nearly three hours while the fuel cell is nearing full power and can operate for several hours after reducing power.
Portable power generation equipment manufacturers are looking for systems that can provide more than 1 kWh/kg of specific energy, which is two to three times more than the current best lithium batteries. According to SRNL's Dr. Ted Motika, higher specific energy means more energy per unit weight. Their goal is to provide the military with a portable system that is lightweight and has excellent energy storage capabilities, as well as other areas where weight requirements are high.
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