STORAGE AND SUPPLY SYSTEM OF LIQUEFIED AND CONDENSED HYDROGEN

• US 20110302933A1
• Filed: 06/15/2010
• Published: 12/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Immel, Rainer
• Application Number:
  US12/815,650
• Publication Number:
  US 20110302933A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/51.1
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 11/005 for hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2201/0104 cylindrical
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2201/06 Vessel construction using filling material in contact with the handled fluid
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/032 Multi-sheet layers
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/0391 by vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/0604 Liners
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/0607 Coatings
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/0619 with two layers
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/0646 Aluminium
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/0648 Alloys or compositions of metals
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/0663 in form of fibers or filaments
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2205/0332 Safety valves or pressure relief valves
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2221/012 Hydrogen
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2223/0161 cryogenic, e.g. LNG, GNL, PLNG
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2265/031 by discharge
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/0184 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 3/00 Vessels not under pressure
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/32 Hydrogen storage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/45 Hydrogen technologies in production processes

Abstract

A hydrogen storage and supply system comprises a storage vessel containing a liquefied or condensed hydrogen in sufficient contact with a catalyst inside the vessel. The storage vessel comprises an inner tank, an outer jacket, a vacuum insulation between said inner tank and outer jacket, and a catalyst disposed inside the inner tank, wherein the catalyst is capable of converting para-hydrogen to ortho-hydrogen at temperatures between about 20° K to about 80° K. A process of storing and supplying hydrogen using the system is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A liquefied or condensed hydrogen storage device comprising an inner tank, an outer jacket, a vacuum insulation between said inner tank and outer jacket, and a catalyst disposed inside said inner tank;

wherein said catalyst is capable of converting para-hydrogen to ortho-hydrogen at temperatures between about 20°

K and about 80°

K.

2. A liquefied or condensed hydrogen storage device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said inner tank and outer jacket are substantially cylindrical in shape.

3. A liquefied or condensed hydrogen storage device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a boil off valve connected to the inner tank that limits the pressure inside said inner tank to under about 60 bar.

4. A liquefied or condensed hydrogen storage device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said catalyst is disposed as either a coating on at least part of the interior surface of said inner tank or a microporous solid inside said inner tank.

5. A liquefied or condensed hydrogen storage device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said catalyst comprises at least one of iron oxide, platinum, rhenium, ruthenium, rhodium phosphine complexes, Group IV-VI transition metal nitrides, samarium copper, potassium-triphenylene complex, titanium carbide, manganese carbides, chromia-alumina, molybdenum-alumina, sodium hydride, chromium potassium sulfate, copper-nickel zeolite, cobalt zeolite, manganese oxide, and carbonaceous substances.

6. A liquefied or condensed hydrogen storage device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said catalyst comprises iron oxide.

7. A liquefied or condensed hydrogen storage device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said vacuum insulation comprises multilayer vacuum super insulation.

8. A liquefied or condensed hydrogen storage device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said inner tank comprises metal lined composite wrap material.

9. A liquefied or condensed hydrogen storage device as set forth in claim 8, wherein said metal comprises aluminum or aluminum alloy and said composite wrap comprises carbon fiber, glass fiber or aramide fiber based composite.

10. A hydrogen supply system comprising:

a storage vessel comprising an inner tank, an outer jacket, a vacuum insulation between said inner tank and outer jacket, and a catalyst disposed inside said inner tank, wherein said catalyst is capable of converting para-hydrogen to ortho-hydrogen at temperatures between about 20°

K and about 80°

K;

a liquefied or condensed hydrogen having sufficient contact with said catalyst inside said inner tank; and

a boil off valve connected to said inner tank to limit the pressure inside said inner tank to less than about 60 bar.

11. A hydrogen supply system as set forth in claim 10, wherein said inner tank and outer jacket are substantially cylindrical in shape.

12. A hydrogen supply system as set forth in claim 10, wherein said inner tank comprises metal lined fiber composite wrap.

13. A hydrogen supply system as set forth in claim 12, wherein said metal comprises aluminum or aluminum alloy and said fiber comprises carbon fiber, glass fiber or aramide fiber.

14. A hydrogen supply system as set forth in claim 10, wherein said liquefied or condensed hydrogen is at least 99.9% pure, and stored at a temperature between about 20°

K and about 80°

K.

15. A hydrogen supply system as set forth in claim 10, wherein said pressure inside said inner tank is between 4 bar and 30 bar.

16. A hydrogen supply system as set forth in claim 10, wherein said catalyst is either a coating on at least part of the interior surface of said inner tank or a microporous solid disposed inside said inner tank.

17. A hydrogen supply system as set forth in claim 10, wherein said catalyst comprises at least one of iron oxide, platinum, rhenium, ruthenium, rhodium phosphine complexes, Group IV-VI transition metal nitrides, samarium copper, potassium-triphenylene complex, titanium carbide, manganese carbides, chromia-alumina, molybdenum-alumina, sodium hydride, chromium potassium sulfate, copper-nickel zeolite, cobalt zeolite, manganese oxide, and carbonaceous substances.

18. A hydrogen supply system as set forth in claim 10, wherein said catalyst comprises iron oxide.

19. A hydrogen supply system as set forth in claim 10, wherein the hydrogen filling level inside said inner tank is between about 5 and about 60 grams per liter.

20. A hydrogen supply system as set forth in claim 19, wherein said filling level is between about 30 and 60 gram per liter.

21. A process of storing liquefied or condensed hydrogen comprising:

providing a storage vessel comprising an inner tank, an outer jacket, plurality of layered vacuum insulation between said inner tank and outer jacket, a boil off valve connected to said inner tank, and a para-hydrogen to ortho-hydrogen conversion catalyst disposed inside said inner tank;

filling said inner tank with a liquefied hydrogen to about 5-60 grams per liter at temperature between about 20°

K and about 60°

K; and

venting hydrogen through said boil off valve when the pressure inside the inner tank reaches a pre-set value;

wherein the vented hydrogen is not recycled back into liquid hydrogen.

22. A process of storing liquefied or condensed hydrogen as set forth in claim 21, wherein said inner tank and outer jacket are substantially cylindrical in shape.

23. A process of storing liquefied or condensed hydrogen as set forth in claim 21, wherein said catalyst is either a coating on at least part of the interior surface of said inner tank or a microporous solid disposed inside said inner tank.

24. A process of storing liquefied or condensed hydrogen as set forth in claim 21, wherein said catalyst comprises at least one of iron oxide, platinum, rhenium, ruthenium, rhodium phosphine complexes, Group IV-VI transition metal nitrides, samarium copper, potassium-triphenylene complex, titanium carbide, manganese carbides, chromia-alumina, molybdenum-alumina, sodium hydride, chromium potassium sulfate, copper-nickel zeolite, cobalt zeolite, manganese oxide, and carbonaceous substances.

25. A process of storing liquefied or condensed hydrogen as set forth in claim 21, wherein the pressure inside said inner tank is controlled between about 4 bar to about 30 bar through said boil off valve.

26. A process of storing liquefied or condensed hydrogen as set forth in claim 21, wherein said pre-set value is between about 4 bar and about 30 bar.

27. A process of storing liquefied or condensed hydrogen as set forth in claim 21, wherein said liquefied hydrogen consists essentially of para-hydrogen.