GOPALAN, B: REVIVE GASEOUS HYDROGEN STORAGE-HYDROSTATIC PRES

Efficient and innovative method of hydrogen storage for automotive fuel cell application is to compress hydrogen in minute hollow spherical bubbles incorporating the Hydrostatic Pressure Retainment (HPR) technology. A HPR vessel involves compressing hydrogen gas within small spherical bubbles. The bubbles are arranged within a solid mass similar to a foam-like structure. By compressing the gas within the small bubbles, a near- hydrostatic (tri-axial) tension is induced in the structural material between the adjacent bubbles. In a HPR vessel, the material properties and the inner matrix structure are two critical design parameters that determine the hydrogen mass efficiency. The focus of this study is devoted to investigating the performance characteristics of one configuration; spherically shaped bubbles homogenously arranged in a simple cubic inner matrix packing structure for a HPR vessel, using Finite Element Analysis.HPR vessels are safer than cylindrical pressurevessels, potential for higher mass efficiencies andcan assume confirmable vessel shapes to fit withinavailable space.