Innovative materials for thermal compression - solving the challenge of hydrogen compression

Critical to reducing UK carbon emissions is the development of efficient hydrogen storage and distribution technologies. Hydrogen gas can be compressed using innovative compression technologies but there remains significant challenges to their successful deployment. Solving the challenges of solid-state compression will have a significant impact on the delivery of compressed hydrogen for a wide variety of applications. The current Hydrogen refuelling technology exists and relies on mechanical compressors to reach 850 bar to supply 700 bar refuelling stations. Hydrogen is a light and difficult to compress gas. Typically compressing hydrogen mechanically requires an additional (ca. 20%) of the calorific value of the gas. The mechanical compressors are costly, difficult to maintain, noisy and have reliability problems especially if used intermittently.
Using the thermodynamics of metal hydrides to our advantage we can compress hydrogen gas just by heating the metal hydride store up to 150oC. The solid-state compression of hydrogen offers a more economical alternative to mechanical compression with a higher level of safety, quiet and significantly lower maintenance regime. We are looking for researchers that are interested in discovering, and characterising new materials that meet the demanding requirements of a solid-state compressor with no moving parts. There will be significant materials characterisation of new alloys they synthesis including hydrogen uptake and release thermodynamics and kinetic measurements.
A prototype solid-state compressor has been built as part of an EPSRC funded project. The next stage, which is the purpose of the project, is to develop bespoke alloys to boost the compression range, extend their capacity, increase the kinetics and develop a state-of-the-art two stage hydrogen compressor. There will be strong industrial engagement through contact with commercial metal alloy producers and potential end users of the technology. The project will feed into a collaborative multimillion research project, Ocean-REFuel, led by the University of Strathclyde.
Deliverables
-Develop, full characterise and test new pairs of high-pressure alloys with flat pressure plateaus and fast kinetics to improve efficiency
-Performance evaluation of existing solid state compressor prototype.
-Design modifications to prototype system to enable it to meet and new requirements of the target operating scenario requirements.