An experimental investigation of thermal effects during discharging operations in a hydrogen cryo-adsorption storage system

Abstract

Paper presented at the 7th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, Turkey, 19-21 July, 2010.

Experimental analysis of thermal effects during discharging of a ten liter hydrogen cryo-adsorption storage tank have been performed. Experiments has been conducted with two adsorbent classes: activated carbon and metal-organic-framework. The study was carried out in a cylindrical tank with granular adsorbents in which the bed temperature was measured at various positions. Thermal effects have been investigated as a consequence of variations in the mass out-flows rate and the initial storage pressure. The experiments tried to reproduce scenarios of a hydrogen-fueled powertrain in operation by delivering power input required for a conventional scooter (6 kW) and a fuel-cell vehicle (20 kW). The penalties in quantities of residual gas were reported and suggestions for improvements of thermal management during discharging operations were suggested.