Engineering Challenges of Solution and Slurry-Phase Chemical Hydrogen Storage Materials for Automotive Fuel Cell...

Area of Science:

• Chemical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Energy Storage

Background:

• The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Storage Engineering Center of Excellence (HSECoE) investigated chemical hydrogen storage media.
• Focus was on liquid-phase and slurry-phase media for automotive applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility of various chemical hydrogen storage media for automotive use.
• To identify key engineering challenges and limitations in scaling up hydrogen storage technologies.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of liquid-phase, slurry-phase, and solid-phase chemical hydrogen storage systems.
• Assessment of regeneration cost, efficiency, and system-level targets.

Main Results:

• Neat liquid-phase media with >7.8 wt% hydrogen capacity are projected to meet DOE targets.
• Solid- and slurry-phase media requiring off-board regeneration are impractical for automotive applications due to transport and economic hurdles.
• Regeneration cost and efficiency remain the primary barriers for chemical hydrogen storage.

Conclusions:

• Liquid-phase chemical hydrogen storage presents the most viable pathway for automotive applications.
• Significant engineering challenges exist in scaling up fluid-phase ammonia borane and alane compositions.
• Future research must address the economic and technical limitations of current chemical hydrogen storage approaches.