Innovation

Solving the liquid hydrogen boil-off problem | US awards $48m towards H2 research and development

Nearly $30m has gone towards improving liquid hydrogen storage and fuelling for vehicles

A prototype liquid-hydrogen-fuelled truck.
A prototype liquid-hydrogen-fuelled truck.Photo: Daimler Truck
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $48m across 16 hydrogen research and development projects — with a particular focus on improving liquid H2 storage and fuelling for vehicles.

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The biggest chunk of funding — $17.7m — went towards three projects studying liquid hydrogen fuelling and transfer systems.

Illinois-based GTI Energy was given $6m to develop a mobile liquid H2 fuelling station, while industrial gases firm Linde received $5.7m for “high-rate” liquid hydrogen fuelling for rail.
The Colorado School of Mines also received $6m to develop and deploy a solid-state hydrogen loss recovery system, with the aim of capturing 80% of “boil-off” during liquid H2 transfers.
While liquid hydrogen offers a higher energy density compared to gaseous H2 — which could give fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) a greater range — the molecules have to be kept at temperatures below minus 253°C, just 20°C above absolute zero.
And while liquid hydrogen can be cryogenically stored — passively maintaining extremely cold temperatures without needing extra energy input — there is still a risk of hotspots forming, either within the tank or during refuelling, leading to H2 “boiling off” as a gas.

If this happens inside the tank, this can lead to pressure building up and a risk of explosion, requiring the hydrogen — an indirect greenhouse gas — to be vented, usually into the atmosphere.

Estimates vary on exactly how much hydrogen is lost as a result of boil-off, with Rio Tinto’s chief scientist last year putting the figure at 1% per day lost from storage tanks.

The next largest tranche of DOE cash — $11.7m — went towards onboard liquid H2 storage systems, funding three research projects by engineering giant GE, defense contractor Raytheon, and Japanese multinational Komatsu, each focused on developing high-capacity storage tanks for heavy-duty vehicles.

The DOE also awarded $6.9m to seven projects developing new hydrogen carriers, including $1m towards University of Southern California-led research into chemicals that can be used for “agricultural purposes” when dehydrogenated.

And $11.3m went towards research and development into high-performing and durable membrane electrode assemblies — a key component of permeable-exchange membrane fuel cells and electrolysers.

In a separate round of grants towards clean energy research and development by small businesses, a project to develop an ultra-low-NOx-emission hydrogen burner by Tulsa-based ClearSign Technologies Corporation and Californian utility SoCalGas was awarded $1.6m.

SoCalGas has also pledged to stump up $500,000 for the project and field-test the technology in southern California.

Updated to include additional funding awarded to ClearSign Technologies and SoCalGas.
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USAmericasLH2StorageHydrogen refuelling
Published 21 September 2023, 10:05Updated 21 September 2023, 11:05