A new fuel storage system enables vehicles to have their tanks filled up in five minutes with enough hydrogen to drive 300 miles.
The new, US-developed system uses a fine powder called metal hydride to absorb hydrogen gas. The method also involves a heat exchanger, developed by engineers funded by the General Motors (GM) Group, that circulates coolant through tubes and uses fins to remove heat generated as the hydrogen is absorbed by the powder.
The heat exchanger is critical because the system stops absorbing hydrogen effectively if it overheats, said Issam Mudawar, a professor of mechanical engineering who is leading the research.
"The hydride produces an enormous amount of heat," Mudawar said. "It would take a minimum of 40 minutes to fill the tank without cooling, and that would be entirely impractical."
The research is directed by GM researchers based at the Hydrogen Systems Laboratory at Purdue University's Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratories.
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Date Published: April 03, 2009
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