High-pressure Metal Hydride Tank for Fuel Cell Vehicles

High-pressure metal hydride (MH) tank has been designed based on a 35 MPa cylinder vessel. The heat exchanger module is integrated into the tank. Its advantage over high-pressure cylinder vessels is its large hydrogen storage capacity, for example 9.5 kg with a tank volume of 180 L by Ti₂₅Cr₅₀V₂₀Mo₅ alloy. Cruising range is about 900 km, over 3 times longer than that of a 35 MPa cylinder vessel system with the same volume. The hydrogen-charging rate of this system is equal to the 35 MPa cylinders without any external cooling facility. And release of hydrogen at 243 K is enabled due to the use of hydrogen-absorbing alloy with high-dissociation pressure, for example Ti₃₅Cr₃₄Mn₃₁ alloy.