Concept, Design and Manufacture of a Prototype Hydrogen Storage Tank Based on Sodium Alanate

• Published in: Chemical engineering & technology 2009-08, Vol.32 (8), p.1154-1163
• Main Authors: Na Ranong, C., Höhne, M., Franzen, J., Hapke, J., Fieg, G., Dornheim, M., Eigen, N., Bellosta von Colbe, J. M., Metz, O.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Chemical engineering; Design principles; Energy; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Equipments for energy generation and conversion: thermal, electrical, mechanical energy, etc; Exact sciences and technology; Fuel cells; Hydrogen Storage; Modeling; Reactors; Storage
• ISSN: 0930-7516; 1521-4125
• DOI: 10.1002/ceat.200900095

In the framework of the EC project STORHY (Hydrogen Storage for Automotive Applications), the prototype of a solid storage tank for hydrogen based on sodium alanate was developed. A storage tank containing 8 kg sodium alanate was designed and manufactured with the objective of fast refueling. To obtain the optimum design of the storage tank a simulation tool was developed and validated by experiments with a laboratory‐scale tubular reactor. Application of the simulation tool to different storage concepts and geometries yielded the final design. The chosen concept is modular, enabling simple scale‐up. This is the basis for the future development of fuel cell vehicle storage tanks containing 5 kg of hydrogen. Hydrogen storage is a key enabling technology for the automotive use of hydrogen and for the mass market entry of hydrogen‐fueled vehicles. The systematic design of a prototype of a solid storage tank for hydrogen based on sodium alanate is presented. With respect to the design of even larger storage tanks, a modular concept is chosen.