Hythane Company Proposes Using Liquid Hydrogen Fuel Tank for Regen Energy Storage
18 March 2008
Hythane Company LLC, the wholly-owned US subsidiary of Eden Energy, is proposing integrating a Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) system within the walls of a cryogenic storage vessel for liquid hydrogen to create a hybrid on-board fuel/electrical energy storage device that could capture electrical energy from a regenerative braking system or other engine generation system in addition to storing the fuel.
The fuel tank itself would thus become a storage device to capture electrical energy from a regenerative braking system or other engine generation system, reducing or eliminating the need for on-board batteries. Hythane Company has just received a US patent for this integrated concept: “Cryogenic Container and Superconductivity Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) System”.
Among the applications the company sees for the new technology is reducing or eliminating the need for lithium-ion batteries, thereby advancing the practicality of hydrogen cars. Hythane Company sells components and systems—reformers, blenders, compressors, storage units and dispensing units—to support the use of Hythane, a 20% hydrogen, 80% compressed natural gas blend, in vehicles.
A Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) system consists of a superconducting magnet that stores energy in a magnetic field created by the flow of direct current in a coil of superconducting material. SMES systems are highly efficient (90-95% roundtrip efficiency). Development work for SMES has been targeting large scale applications for power conditioning or grid energy storage.
In the Hythane concept, the cryogenic storage tanks includes an inner vessel that includes a superconducting layer formed of a material such as magnesium diboride, a niobium alloy, a copper oxide or a BCS superconductor.
The low temperature of the cryogenic fluid provides the conditions required for superconductivity, and the magnetic field created by the superconducting layer helps shield and insulate the cryogenic fluid, in addition to providing a storage system for capturing braking energy.
On a larger scale, parent Eden Energy suggests, the technology could provide a system for transporting both electricity and liquid hydrogen from renewable energy sites to markets, when connection to the power grid is not possible.
Resources
US Patent# 7,305,836 Cryogenic Container and Superconductivity Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) System
Cost Analysis of Energy Storage Systems for Electric Utility Applications (Sandia National Laboratories, 1997; SAND97-0443)
Hmmm, super-expensive and dangerous liquid hydrogen plus super-expensive superconducting materials and extremely strong magnetic fields. There are more cost-effective ways to propel a passenger car...
Posted by: Rafael Seidl | 18 March 2008 at 09:07 AM
Absolutely ridiculous.
And this vehicle could be parked for how long at an airport? Perhaps 12 hours?
Why not do the same thing with renewable methane fueling a PHEV? No cryogenic baths and superconducting magnets necessary. (Or additional infrastructure for the hydrogen.)
Posted by: Jim | 18 March 2008 at 09:16 AM
One word: Supercaps.
Posted by: BlackSun | 18 March 2008 at 09:28 AM
Interesting idea. I can't see this as practical for LDVs, but is there a niche where this could be useful? How does the cost compare to something like vanadium flow? How much niobium is required?
Posted by: Neil | 18 March 2008 at 09:32 AM
If a super-conductor is to be used, a bath of liquid nitrogen is to be preferred. You certainly would not want an energy source to be so near the fuel tank!
Posted by: Lulu | 18 March 2008 at 09:39 AM
Its a great idea for superconducting power lines in a hydrogen economy, not only can the lines transport liquid hydrogen, transport electricity, they can also store power and discharge that power on demand. For a car though, still have the problems of cryogenic fuels, fuel cells, just removed the need for a small stop-go battery.
Posted by: Ben | 18 March 2008 at 10:32 AM
Anybody care to calculate the magnetic field that could potentially be produced from storing several kWs of energy? Especially with how rapidly a vehicle needs to slow down and shunt kinetic energy I'm guessing this would create spurious RF that would act like an active jammer for all nearby radio communications and induce spurious errors for all sensors on the vehicle.
Sounds like a neat scientific experiment but not a good choice for millions of vehicles (but maybe the RF would keep people from talking on their cell-phones while driving!).
Posted by: Patrick | 18 March 2008 at 10:48 AM
To cool down the hydrogen, you need to evaporate it. Then it is no longer liquid hydrogen, but hydrogen gas with a large volume. Now you must either use the gas to run your engine, or re-condense the gas. The energy supply is not "on-demand" but controlled by the unwanted ambient heat leaking into the system.
Impractical ideas are easy to come up with.
Posted by: John Taylor | 18 March 2008 at 11:15 AM
It's a little early for April Fools Day, no?
Posted by: Robert McLeod | 18 March 2008 at 11:27 AM
I like the idea, but what happens if a fully 'charged' electrical field suddenly breaks down (when the coil is damaged) ?
All the energy is released in an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) of enormous amplitude. The military call this an EMP-weapon. All electrical and electronical devices in a wide range would be destroyed.
Posted by: Alain | 18 March 2008 at 02:12 PM
Great...Now how about trying nuclear-powered cars again ??
Posted by: Jay Dee | 18 March 2008 at 03:49 PM
Superconducting magnets have a risk of what is called "quench" wherein they suddenly become non-superconducting. Whatever current is flowing at the time is shunted into a conventional conductor intimately in contact with the superconducting coil (usually either copper or aluminum). A quench is associated with the release of heat in the transition and you also have the resistive heating now of the current in a conventional conductor.
Most superconducting magnets in service use helium for cooling rather than hydrogen. (Most present superconducting magnets are either metallic or intermetallic rather than BCS and require the colder helium.) When a quench occurs, the heat generated flashes coolant to gas which is vented.
I would be concerned about the safety of hydrogen venting with a system such as this.
Bill
Posted by: Bill Young | 18 March 2008 at 05:28 PM
k.i.s.s.
Posted by: drivin98 | 18 March 2008 at 07:41 PM
Yeah That's the ticket
Posted by: DS | 18 March 2008 at 07:58 PM
This may not be so much for cars as maybe locomotives. Imagine how much energy is required to slow a freight train and wouldn't it be nice to store that energy in an efficient way. We have to remember that some of these stories are scientific and not necessarily targeted towards cars.
Posted by: sjc | 18 March 2008 at 08:13 PM