Researchers Test On-Board System for Hydrogen Storage in Organic Hydride Liquids
30 August 2007
Hrein Energy Inc., a Japan-based developer of hydrogen storage systems based on organic hydrides, has successfully field-tested an on-board version of its storage system to produce a hydrogen stream for use with gasoline in an automobile combustion engine. Hrein is targeting its system for eventual use with fuel-cell vehicles, among other applications.
The cooperative research project included Professor Emeritus Masaru Ichikawa of Hokkaido University, the developer of the organic hydride system, along with Futaba Industrial Co. and Ito Racing Service Co.
Organic hydrides are liquids under atmospheric temperature and pressure, yet offer relatively high hydrogen content: between 6-8 wt.%. An example of the reaction is:
Methylcyclohexane C7H14 ←→ Toluene C7H8 + 3H2
Because the organic hydrides are liquids (not to be confused with liquefied hydrogen), the existing fuel storage, transportation and refueling infrastructure could basically be maintained were the liquids applied to transportation.
Organic chemical hydrides can freely produce and absorb H2 gas by catalytic reaction under mild conditions. Hrein developed a spray pulse reactor that feeds the reactant (the organic hydride liquid) to the hot catalyst surface as atomized liquid.
The company obtained its highest hydrogen production rate by using highly heat conducting supporting materials (thin Al2O3 layer on aluminum plate). Hrein Energy and the others packaged this system in the form of a small cylindrical reactor for recovering hydrogen from the organic hydride. Made of aluminum, the reactor is 45cm tall and 15cm in diameter and is heated by the engine’s exhaust.
Hrein Energy plans to test the system on a compact car within the year.
Separately, at the recent 234th meeting of the American Chemical Society, Robert Crabtree from Yale presented his work on developing catalysts that could enable the use of hydrogen carried in a liquid fuel for transportation use.
Resources:
Hrein Energy Hydrogen Storage and Supply System
R. Crabtree, Odile Eisenstein, and Eric Clot, “Hydrogen storage in azaheterocyclic organic liquids” (ACS 234 FUEL 103)
It is incredible that they are now calling simple hydrocarbons 'organic hydrides'. Who came up with that term?
I have a Ph.D in organic chemistry and it makes me cringe when I see a term like this.
And, this is nothing knew. I remember Scientific American, more than a decade ago, talking about the use of tetrahydronapthalene (tetralin) as a source of hydrogen for fuel cells(dehydrogenates to napthalene, which can then be converted back to the tetrahydro compound).
Posted by: miket1 | 30 August 2007 at 02:50 PM
Perhaps Japan has generous grants for hydrogen research same as DoE in the US. I wonder how this compares to methanol not only for energy return but volumetric hydrogen density, cheapness and no need for prewarming or catalysts. I'm not sure how well methanol blends with ICE fuels but it too can be used in fuel cells. Hydrogen research seems to be the gift that keeps on giving.
Posted by: Aussie | 31 August 2007 at 03:48 AM
MIKEt1 MAYBE YOU CAN HELP
WITH THE ALTERNATORS AND VEHICLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS AVAILABLE TODAY, FOR VEHICLES, WE CAN MAKE HENRY FORD'S INVENTION FROM THE EARLY 1900'S, "RUNNING A CAR ON HYDROGEN ELECTROLIZED FROM WATER", WORK IN TODAY'S VEHICLES.
HOW CAN WE BEST GET THIS INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO "RUN VEHICLES ON WATER" TO THE TOP MANAGEMENT AND ENGINEERS OF THE AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURES. IT IS SO SIMPLE AND EASY TO SUPPLIMENT GASOLINE WITH HYDROGEN ELECTROLIZED FROM WATER OR SKIP THE GASOLINE AND JUST USE HYDROGEN FOR FUEL, THAT 99 PEOPLE OUT OF 100, CAN'T BELIEVE IT IS POSSIBLE TO RUN A VEHICLE ON WATER.
MY NEIGHBOR, A MECHANIC AND I ARE CONVERTING AN OLD, 1989 BUICK CENTURY V-6, TO RUN ON GASOLINE SUPPLIMENTED WITH HYDROGEN GAS ELECTROLIZED FROM WATER. IF IT DOUBLES THE MPG, MAYBE I COULD DRIVE IT OVER TO THE LOCAL BUICK DEALER, HERE IN KANSAS CITY AND SEE IF THEY WOULD TELL THEIR BIG SHOTS TO TELL GM HOW IT WORKS.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
LEO WELLS
[email protected]
Posted by: LEO WELLS | 03 March 2008 at 08:23 PM
This strip reminded me of my Cryptology class for which I was the TA with an enrollment of 70 students. Weekly assignments were horrible as I spent more time grading them than the students may have spent on searching for the solutions. Exams were the worst with me having to evaluate their solutions to award partial points. It feel so good to see the right answers but these partial points we a killer. One had to go through all the steps and spot the error and then award some points for the number of correct steps.
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Posted by: Free Registry Cleaner | 06 July 2008 at 05:51 PM
GASOLINE SUPPLIMENTED WITH HYDROGEN GAS ELECTROLIZED FROM WATER. IF IT DOUBLES THE MPG, MAYBE I COULD DRIVE IT OVER TO THE LOCAL BUICK DEALER, HERE IN KANSAS CITY AND SEE IF THEY WOULD TELL THEIR BIG SHOTS TO TELL GM HOW IT WORKS. registry cleaners
Posted by: Claudio Timbers | 10 January 2013 at 12:46 AM