Technology Outline (Process Description)

Hydrogen is considered as a potential energy carrier for transportation. A number of hydrogen fueling stations have been built around the world to provide hydrogen fuel for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV). One of the major concerns facing the FCEV introduction is the lack of a hydrogen fueling infrastructure. Without a hydrogen refueling infrastructure network, FCEVs cannot operate, and their commercial deployment will be very limited. In a hydrogen refueling station, hydrogen is compressed from low pressure (0.1 MPa to 1 MPa) to a high pressure of 35 MPa (5000 psi) to 70 MPa (10,000 psi) and is stored in high-pressure cylinders. We have developed a metal hydride based hydrogen compressor which operates using low graded thermal energy.