Storage system for energy conversion with hydrogen PEMFC pilot plant

Hydrogen has the largest heating effect of all chemical fuels, being, also, regenerative and friendly with the environment. Hydrogen can be stored by different methods: high pressure gas cylinders (up to 800 bar); liquid hydrogen in cryogenic tanks (at 21 K); adsorbed in materials with a large specific surface area (at T< 100 K); absorbed on interstitial sites in a host metal (at ambient pressure and temperature); chemically bound in covalent and ionic compounds (at ambient pressure); or through oxidation of reactive metals e.g. Li, Na, Mg, Al, Zn with water. Designing of the storage system took in considerations the following requirements: the technology for obtaining the alloy must be relatively simple, the absorption process has to evolve at ambient temperature and low pressure while desorption process must be within the 25-80 deg. C range. For realizing the storage system we used the hydride based on iron-titanium alloys because these fulfill the conditions mentioned above. As constructive elements the storage system is realized by 19 columns with microcrystalline metallic powder disposed into a metallic vessel. (authors)