Compatibility of Cryogenic Liquid Hydrogen Storage, Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engines

Authors

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Dr. J. Winklhofer, Dipl.-Ing. Dr. T. Stepan, SAG Innovation GmbH, Lend:

Year

2022

Print Info

Production/Publication ÖVK

Summary

Amongst zero CO₂ transport solutions, liquid hydrogen as a fuel for heavy duty trucks offers advantages in terms of energy storage density and refueling time especially in comparison to battery electric vehicles. In addition, the pressure in the tank can be kept at a low level compared to high pressure gaseous storage. This comes with advantages in terms of weight, sizing, cost and safety of the tank. However, different hydrogen drivetrain solutions require different supply pressure levels. They range from less than 10 bar for PEM fuel cells to 300 bar for high pressure direct injection in an internal combustion engine.

This paper outlines how liquid hydrogen storage can provide different supply pressure levels for fuel cells and hydrogen internal combustion engines and highlights the associated technological challenges.

The results present that for direct supply from the LH2 storage tank, the nominal supply pressure of the PEMFC or the H₂-ICE should be as low as possible (< 15 bar) in order to minimize the weight of the tank, provide sufficient hydrogen capacity as well as hold time. For high pressure applications up to 300 bar gaseous compression is shown to be inherently inefficient. In this case a cryogenic pump would be favorable but is yet to be developed and demonstrated.

ISBN

1920-2323-23-1

Number of pages

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