SBIR-STTR Award

Recently, there has been a tremendous worldwide interest in the commercialization of energy efficient, environmentally friendly, hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles and devices. One of the key challenges in the development of fuel cell technology for these applications is the problem of onboard hydrogen storage. Currently, hundreds of thousands of battery-powered forklifts are used in factories and warehouses where it is desirable to operate zero emission vehicles. However, productivity concerns point to a need to replace batteries by PEM fuel cells (PEMFCs) as the power source in these vehicles. To date, commercial replacement units have been fit with ultra high-pressure (350 Bar) hydrogen gas tanks that carry severe safety risks. Solid-state storage of hydrogen in metal hydrides has long been explored as a safer alternative technology. The low, 1.2 hydrogen wt% of AB5 alloys precludes their utilization in many applications. However, the heavy weight of the class of hydrides is an advantage in forklifts that require counterbalance. In order to demonstrate the practical viability of the metal hydride based hydrogen storage in this application, Hawaii Hydrogen Carriers, LLC in collaboration with Sandia National Laboratory, seeks to develop metal hydride storage system that is optimized for operation with a PEMFC powered forklifts. The objective of Phase 1 of this project is to design a metal hydride based hydrogen storage system that can match the favorable cost, reliability, and refill time attributes of high-pressure storage tanks and offer clear advantages in safety, lifecycle, and storage capacity. Our focus will be to identify low cost components that will provide adequate performance which will be achieved by conducting extensive modeling and simulation. This effort will provide a solid framework for Phase 2, in which our models and materials selection will be verified experimental before proceeding tank construction and integration of the storage system in to real world applications. Commercial Applications and Other

Benefits:
The inherently safety and greater accessibility of the metal hydride storage system should attract an extremely wide range of end users. Thus development of this technology would enable a rapid market entry into the relatively unpenetrated, $3 billion per year market for PEMFC powered forklifts and eventual lead expansion into the $45 billion per year market for all low speed industrial vehicles including farm tractors, postal vehicles, and mining machinery

There is worldwide interest in the commercialization of energy efficient, environmentally friendly, hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles and devices. One of the key challenges in transitioning fuel cell technology to the marketplace is the development of suitable onboard hydrogen storage solutions. Metal Hydride Solid-State (MHSS) based hydrogen fuel solutions provide favorable storage alternatives for certain applications such as zero-emission forklifts. Currently, approximately 66,000 Battery-Powered (BP) forklifts are purchased each year in the U.S. BP forklifts have some inherent drawbacks that could be eliminated by incorporating an alternative energy source in the form of a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) coupled with an MHSS fuel system. Hydrogen powered PEMFC forklifts are becoming more widespread, due to a vastly improved overall value proposition, with market sales doubling every two years. The advantages of an MHSS PEMFC forklift over a BP forklift include: 1) Significantly reduced charging/fueling time, 2) Constant Power (not decreasing at low charge), 3) Longer life span, 4) Added ballast (i.e., heavy weight of MHSS fuel tank is a plus for this application), and 5) Supports use of renewable energy (i.e., electrolysis via wind or solar power). Advantages of an MHSS PEMFC forklift over the current High Pressure (HP) PEMFC forklift design include: 1) Reduced safety risks due to low pressure fuel storage, 2) Increased tank storage capacity offering longer durations between refills, 3) Lower cost due to the elimination of on-site HP refueling stations, 4) Value proposition supportive of very small fleets, and 5) Capability to fill directly from an electrolyzer or other low-pressure source. HHC/SES will address the known problem via utilizing our teams vast metal hydride hydrogen storage experience, combined with proven systems engineering tools and manufacturing techniques, to produce a cost effect product that greatly exceeds present industry offerings and customer expectations. Evaluated cost and technical feasibility of MHSS fuel system design integrating with a PEMFC manufactured system. Successfully demonstrated: 1) MHSS storage capacity is greater than for HP fuel systems, 2) Specific energy and energy density meets PEMFC forklift requirements, 3) Ambient temperature start-up, 4) Hydrogen delivery rate is supportive of PEMFC, 5) Refueling can be performed without an off-board cooling system, and 6) Manufacturing design now offers cost competitive solution Validate Phase I design/modeling/testing and produce a full scale MHSS system supportive of PEMFC forklift manufacture. A retrofit kit for existing PEMFC forklifts will also be designed. The developed MHSS system will be formally tested and certified to meet all appropriate codes and standards. The market ready prototype will be integrated into a fully operational forklift for proof of functionality within standard operating conditions. Our solution will cause the wide spread replacement of BP low-speed materials handling vehicles (an estimated $45B/year global market) with hydrogen powered PEMFC systems. Associated benefits are as listed in item 5 above.