Publications
Parameter study of a vehicle-scale hydrogen storage system
Sandia National Laboratories has developed a vehicle-scale prototype hydrogen storage system as part of a Work For Others project funded by General Motors. This Demonstration System was developed using the complex metal hydride sodium alanate. For the current work, we have continued our evaluation of the GM Demonstration System to provide learning to DOE's hydrogen storage programs, specifically the new Hydrogen Storage Engineering Center of Excellence. Baseline refueling data during testing for GM was taken over a narrow range of optimized parameter values. Further testing was conducted over a broader range. Parameters considered included hydrogen pressure and coolant flow rate. This data confirmed the choice of design pressure of the Demonstration System, but indicated that the system was over-designed for cooling. Baseline hydrogen delivery data was insufficient to map out delivery rate as a function of temperature and capacity for the full-scale system. A more rigorous matrix of tests was performed to better define delivery capabilities. These studies were compared with 1-D and 2-D coupled multi-physics modeling results. The relative merits of these models are discussed along with opportunities for improved efficiency or reduced mass and volume.