Advanced Thermal Hydrogen Compression 1999-01-2524

Hydrogen has long been considered the fuel of the future. During this decade, significant resources have been invested in the development of advanced production, storage and utilization methods that hold the promise of moving society towards the use of this clean and renewable source of energy. One obstacle impeding the implementation of a hydrogen infrastructure is hydrogen compression. Large mechanical compressors have a high capital cost, consume substantial amounts of energy and require frequent maintenance. An economical alternative to mechanical compression is thermal compression of hydrogen using reversible metal hydride alloys. Recent developments in the areas of moisture tolerant hydride alloys and improved heat transfer will permit the application of thermal compressors to non-pure hydrogen streams likely to result from large scale advanced production methods.