Metal Hydride Slurry as a Novel Carrier of Hydrogen

79395S Pipelines will likely be the ultimate hydrogen delivery system, due to their relatively low cost and high efficiency when transporting hydrogen in large volumes. However, the perceived safety and associated economic implications of hydrogen delivery using high-pressure gaseous pipelines may create barriers to their widespread adoption. To overcome these barriers, this project will develop technology for transporting hydrogen as a metal hydride slurry through pipelines, from a central hydrogen production facility to the point of use. There, the hydrogen can be stored or used immediately by desorbing gaseous hydrogen from the metal hydride material. This concept takes advantage of the low cost and high efficiency of pipeline delivery, but promises to be safer and cheaper than gaseous hydrogen pipelines. Phase I will identify the appropriate metal hydride and liquid carrier medium, perform bench-scale tests on the slurry to characterize and optimize its transport properties, and develop preliminary layout and design specs for the entire system. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The new hydrogen delivery concept could potentially overcome public concerns regarding high-pressure gaseous hydrogen pipelines and facilitate the development of a hydrogen infrastructure. The concept also should have near-term applications for industrial hydrogen delivery (i.e., refineries, chemical plants, etc.). Energy savings would be another benefit: energy use for the slurry concept is projected to be much lower than liquid or chemical hydride delivery modes, and potentially lower than even compressed hydrogen pipelines if waste heat could be utilized for hydrogen desorption and thermal compression.