Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental-, Saftey and Energy Technology

Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental-, Saftey and Energy Technology

Kosten- und ressourceneffiziente Speicherung von Wasserstoff

Energy-efficient and reliable storage of hydrogen

Core-H2storage

Energy-efficient and reliable storage of Hydrogen enabling a flexible and scalable energy source.

A switch from fossil fuels to renewable energies is essential in order to achieve climate targets. In addition to generating renewable energy, it is also important to reduce energy comsumption and use energy efficiently. The state-of-the-art methods for H2 storage require a lot of energy: the cryogenic storage needs about 40 percent, and the high-pressure storage (70 MPa) requires about 20 percent of the energy content of the stored hydrogen. The goal of our project is to minimize this energy expenditure to make the H2 storage more efficient. We want to develop multipurpose, broadly accessible and secure low-pressure H2-storage tanks. The main advantage of this solution is the low energy requirement and high safety of the H2 storage compared to the state-of-the-art at high pressures (35 MPa, 70 MPa) or cryogenic temperatures (20 K).

Project goals

The scientific and technical objective of "Core-H2storage" is to develop a prototype that demonstrates the charging and discharging of hydrogen storage systems at pressures of up to 3.5 MPa and at ambient temperature for various applications.

Common methods of hydrogen storage such as compression or liquefaction are energy-intensive and place high demands on the materials used. «Core-H2storage» focuses on solid-based H2 storage methods. Here two different systems will be investigated: porous materials, like Si-Aerogels, and high-entropy alloys. The H2-storage in both materials will be done under moderate conditions. Only the temperature for the release of the H2 from the high-entropy alloy will be higher than in case of the aerogels. Therefore, the requirements for the tanks are low compared to the typical tanks for very high pressures or low temperatures.

Project partners

  • Amazemet, Warsaw, Poland
  • Faculty of Sciences, University of Monastir, Tunisie
  • Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT, Oberhausen, Germany
  • Institute for Non-Classical Chemistry (INC) at Leipzig University, Germany
  • Company JA-Gastechnology, Burgwedel, Germany
  • VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, Energy Research center, Ostrava-Poruba, Czech Republic
  • Warsaw University of Technology (WUT, Poland)