High-pressure hydrogen storage for on-board applications and for coupling renewable energies to the electric grid

Abstract

This paper deals with hydrogen storage issues and reports the high-pressure technological advancement performed to date at a laboratory scale in two distinct domains. For on-board storage applications, the developments enter the scope of the adsorption approach that relates to materials exhibiting high specific areas and microporous volumes; experimental results connected to a specific device operating under pressures up to 70 MPa are presented. For renewable energy sources, the development aims to reassess the coupling to the electric grid of those suffering from inherent variability; pressurized hydrogen in dedicated pipeline sections is therein considered as a buffer storage means. The latter part presents the recently developed distribution-related pipe section test bench, previously designed for testing under monotonic loading up to 30 MPa or under cyclic loading between 4 and 10 MPa, that the new development shall benefit from.

Keywords:

• hydrogen
• adsorption
• energy storage
• renewable energy

Acknowledgements

The part of the work related to adsorption has been supported by the international Euro-Québec-Hydro Hydrogen Pilot project and the European HyTRAIN 512443 project of the Marie Curie research training network. The pipe section test bench has been developed for hydrogen distribution thanks to the support provided by the French ANR research funding agency through the PAN-H 2005 programme for the CATHY GDF project (ANR-05-PANH-006-04 aid), and its adaptation is underway for buffer storage with new support through the ANR H-PAC 2009 programme with regard to the CESTAR project.