Hydrogen storage device

• US 20090199574A1
• Filed: 09/01/2006
• Published: 08/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Mori, Daigoro, Hirose, Katsuhiko
• Application Number:
  US11/991,265
• Publication Number:
  US 20090199574A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/46.1
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/0005 Reversible uptake of hydrogen by an appropriate medium, i.e. based on physical or chemical sorption phenomena or on reversible chemical reactions, e.g. for hydrogen storage purposes purification of hydrogen C01B3/508; Reversible gettering of hydrogen; Reversible uptake of hydrogen by electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/0089 Ortho-para conversion
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 1/00 Pressure vessels, e.g. gas cylinder, gas tank, replaceable cartridge pressurised apparatus for purposes other than storage, see the relevant subclasses such as A62C, B05B; associated with vehicles, see the appropriate subclass of classes B60 - B64; pressure vessels in general F16J12/00 ; autoclaves B01J3/04; tank vehicles B60P3/22; railway tank wagons for carrying fluent materials B61D5/00; accumulators for supplying fluid under pressure F15B1/04; liquefied gas stoves F24C3/00
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 11/005 for hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2201/0109 with exteriorly curved end-piece
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2201/035 with substantially horizontal main axis
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2201/056 Small (<1 m3)
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2201/06 Vessel construction using filling material in contact with the handled fluid
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/0304 by solid means
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/0391 by vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/0617 with one layer
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/0643 Stainless steels
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/0646 Aluminium
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/0648 Alloys or compositions of metals
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/0352 Pipes
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2221/012 Hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2223/0161 cryogenic, e.g. LNG, GNL, PLNG
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2223/033 Small pressure, e.g. for liquefied gas
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2223/035 High pressure (>10 bar)
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2223/043 in the gas
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2225/0123 : gaseous, e.g. CNG, GNC
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2225/043 : in the gas
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2227/0302 : by heating
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2227/0337 : by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2227/0369 : in or on a vessel
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2227/0381 : integrated in the wall
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2265/012 : by filtering
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/32 : Hydrogen storage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/45 : Hydrogen technologies in production processes

Abstract

When hydrogen is taken out, para-hydrogen having a low energy is converted into ortho-hydrogen having a high energy, and a cooling effect of endothermy of the para-ortho conversion is utilized for maintaining the temperature within a hydrogen storage device low. For accomplishing such a system, there is provided a hydrogen storage device for storing a liquid hydrogen, wherein a porous magnetic body serving as a para-ortho conversion catalyst is arranged in a hydrogen circulation.

Claims

1. A hydrogen storage device, comprising:

a tank provided with a hydrogen flow opening, and a hydrogen absorbing material in at least one portion of the tank; and

a porous magnetic body disposed at the hydrogen flow opening.

2. The hydrogen storage device according to claim 1, wherein the tank includes a thermal insulating container.

3. The hydrogen storage device according to claim 1, wherein the hydrogen flow opening comprises a hydrogen flow inlet and a hydrogen flow outlet, and the porous magnetic body is disposed at the hydrogen flow outlet.

4. The hydrogen storage device according to claim 1, wherein the porous magnetic body is disposed so as to be able to exchange heat with a structural member of the tank.

5. The hydrogen storage device according to claim 4, wherein the structural member of the tank is a metal material.

6. The hydrogen storage device according to claim 1, wherein:

the tank comprises a thermal insulating structure comprising a shield material that includes a metal layer, the shield material being disposed between a thermal insulating material; and

the porous magnetic body is disposed so as to be able to exchange heat with the shield material.

7. The hydrogen storage device according to claim 1, wherein the porous magnetic body is disposed so as to be able to exchange heat with the internal atmosphere of the tank.

8. The hydrogen storage device according to claim 1, wherein the hydrogen absorbing material is activated carbon, carbon nanotubes or MOF.

9. The hydrogen storage device according to claim 1, wherein the porous magnetic body is iron oxide, a mixture of silica gel and nickel, or alumina on a chromium oxide carrier.

10. The hydrogen storage device according to claim 3, further comprising a hydrogen flow tube that hydrogen flows through and that is connected to the hydrogen flow outlet, wherein the porous magnetic body is held at at least one portion of the internal wall of the hydrogen flow tube.

11. The hydrogen storage device according to claim 3, further comprising a hydrogen flow tube that hydrogen flows through and that is connected to the hydrogen flow outlet, wherein the porous magnetic body fills at least one portion of the hydrogen flow tube.

12. The hydrogen storage device according to claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the hydrogen flow tube is disposed along a face of the external wall of the tank.

13. The hydrogen storage device according to claim 1, wherein the hydrogen absorbing material is provided within the tank at a face of an upper wall disposed in the opposite direction to the direction in which gravity acts.

14. The hydrogen storage device according to claim 6, wherein the shield material is a polyester film which has been subjected to aluminum vapor deposition on only one side.

15. The hydrogen storage device according to claim 6, wherein the thermal insulating structure comprises a layered structure including thermal insulating material, aluminum plate and thermal insulating material.

17. The hydrogen storage device according to claim 1, wherein liquid hydrogen is stored in the tank.

16. A hydrogen storage device comprising a porous magnetic body disposed at a hydrogen flow opening of a tank.

18. The hydrogen storage device according to claim 16, wherein:

the tank comprises a thermal insulating structure comprising a shield material that includes a metal layer, the shield material being disposed between a thermal insulating material; and

the porous magnetic body is disposed so as to be able to exchange heat with the shield material.

19. The hydrogen storage device according to claim 16, wherein the porous magnetic body is iron oxide, a mixture of silica gel and nickel, or alumina on a chromium oxide carrier.

20. The hydrogen storage device according to claim 16, wherein the hydrogen flow opening comprises a hydrogen flow inlet and a hydrogen flow outlet, the hydrogen storage device further comprising a hydrogen flow tube where hydrogen flows through and that is connected to the hydrogen flow outlet, wherein the porous magnetic body is held at or fills in at least one portion of the hydrogen flow tube, and the hydrogen flow tube is disposed along a face of the external wall of the tank.

21. The hydrogen storage device according to claim 16, wherein liquid hydrogen is stored in the tank.