Hydrogen storage device for avoiding powder dispersion

Details Hydrogen storage device for avoiding powder dispersion Hydrogen storage device for avoiding powder dispersion

2002-11-15

2004-01-06

McKinnon, Terrell (Department: 3743)

Heat exchange

Intermediate fluent heat exchange material receiving and...

Reversible chemical reaction

C165S010000, C062S480000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06672372

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a hydrogen storage device. In particular, the invention relates to a hydrogen storage device that is filled with magnetic hydrogen-absorbing material to avoid powder dispersion. Through the mutual attraction of the magnetized hydrogen-absorbing material, the powder dispersion phenomenon can be avoided when the hydrogen-absorbing material is repeatedly released and absorbed.
2. Related Art
There are many known hydrogen storage methods, including those using high-pressure hydrogen storage containers, liquid storage reservoirs, carbon nanotubes and metal hydrides. In order to storage more and purer hydrogen, the industry has started to use the reversible hydrogen absorption property of hydrogen-absorbing materials not only to store a large amount of hydrogen, but also to obtain highly purified hydrogen as the hydrogen-absorbing materials only attract hydrogen gas. Such hydrogen-absorbing materials have been widely used in fuel cells. The hydrogen-absorbing materials can storage huge quantity of hydrogen gas so that the fuel cells can generate more power, providing various industries with much-needed power. Consequently, the hydrogen-absorbing material becomes an indispensable ingredient of fuel cells.
A conventional hydrogen storage device
200
, as shown in
FIG. 3
, contains: a heat exchange reservoir
10
, a fluid pipeline
20
, a hydrogen duct
30
, a plurality of fins
40
, a hydrogen-absorbing material
50
and a filter
70
, wherein the fluid pipeline
20
has an inlet
21
and an outlet
22
disposed on both sides of the heat exchange reservoir
10
. The hydrogen duct
30
is disposed at the upper central position of the heat exchange reservoir
10
for hydrogen to absorb or release heat. The plurality of fins
40
is fixatedly disposed at the fluid pipeline
20
for the fluid pipeline
20
to disperse heat. The hydrogen-absorbing material
50
is filled in the heat exchange reservoir
10
for storage hydrogen. The filter
70
is placed inside the heat exchange reservoir
10
and connected to the end of the hydrogen duct
30
that is positioned in the heat exchange reservoir
10
for filtering powder from hydrogen-absorbing material
50
.
When hydrogen is guided through the hydrogen duct
30
into the heat exchange reservoir
10
, the hydrogen-absorbing material
50
, by having the property of being able to reversely absorb and release hydrogen, can store a huge amount of hydrogen. When the hydrogen-absorbing material
50
releases hydrogen, the hydrogen gas escapes through the hydrogen duct
30
. As the hydrogen-absorbing material
50
repeatedly releases and absorbs hydrogen, the phenomenon of powderization will occur, with powder generated therefrom being taken away by the hydrogen flow due to pressure differences. In this case, the filter
70
is utilized for filtering such powder of the hydrogen-absorbing material
50
, allowing only hydrogen to be ducted out of the hydrogen duct
30
.
Powder generated by the continuous release and absorption of the hydrogen-absorbing material
50
eventually results in the reduction of the gas flux and work efficiency of the conventional hydrogen storage device
200
. Although a porous filter
70
is provided to stop such powder, the cost of the hydrogen storage device nevertheless goes up. Moreover, once the filter
70
absorbs the hydrogen-absorbing material powders to a certain extent or saturates, one needs to replace it with a new one. Thus, the maintenance cost also increases.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary object of the invention is to provide a hydrogen storage device that prevents powder, being generated when the hydrogen-absorbing material releases and absorbs hydrogen, from clogging the pipeline, thereby increases the overall work efficiency.
To achieve the above object, the disclosed hydrogen storage device comprises a heat exchange reservoir, a fluid pipeline, a hydrogen duct, a plurality of fins, and a magnetized hydrogen-absorbing material. The fluid pipeline is deflectively installed in the heat exchange reservoir with an inlet and an outlet formed on the top of the heat exchange reservoir. The hydrogen duct is disposed on one side of the heat exchange reservoir for guiding hydrogen flow. The fins are fixatedly installed along the fluid pipeline for dispersing heat. The hydrogen-absorbing material is magnetized and utilized to fill inside the heat exchange reservoir.
Another object of the invention is to provide a hydrogen-absorbing material, which is magnetic after being magnetized.
A further object of the invention is to provide a hydrogen-absorbing material, which is magnetized by a magnetic component.
The hydrogen-absorbing materials include nickel alloys and titanium alloys.
The heat exchange reservoir is further installed with a magnetic component that provides with a strong magnetic field to keep the hydrogen-absorbing material magnetized. Such design solves the problem of magnetization strength reduction due to repeated residual stress actions.
The height of the magnetic component is larger than that of the filled hydrogen-absorbing material.
The magnetic component is a permanent magnet or electromagnetic coil.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4077788 (1978-03-01), Woollam
patent: 4576640 (1986-03-01), Wootton et al.
patent: 4580404 (1986-04-01), Pez et al.
patent: 5676202 (1997-10-01), Akashi et al.

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