Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are fast emerging as an alternative to battery electric vehicles. But hydrogen is not yet an option for small vehicles such as electric scooters and motorbikes due to the requirement for a reinforced tank to withstand the 700 bar pressure surge during refuelling.
A possible solution emerging is the hydrogen-based paste, named the Powerpaste, which is being developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM in Dresden.
The paste is made out of magnesium, which is combined with hydrogen to form magnesium hydride in a process conducted at 350oC and five to six times atmospheric pressure. The finished paste is stored in a cartridge and on a vehicle it can be released by means of a plunger and mixed with water from an onboard tank to generate the hydrogen gas required for the vehicle fuel cell.
The process appears to be efficient with about half the required hydrogen content coming from the Powerpaste and half from the water.
Moreover, it has the prospect of being both simple and safe to use. Refuelling is a matter of replacing an empty cartridge with a new one and refilling a tank with water. And as the Powerpaste begins to decompose at around 250oC, the vehicle can undergo extended use in the sunniest conditions.
“Powerpaste has a huge energy storage density, substantially higher than that of a 700 bar high pressure tank. And compared to batteries, it has ten times the energy storage density. This means that Powerpaste offers a range comparable to, or even greater than, gasoline.”
Reality Of Islam |
|
9:3:43   2018-11-05
10 benefits of Marriage in Islam
7:5:22   2019-04-08
benefits of reciting surat yunus, hud &
9:45:7   2018-12-24
advantages & disadvantages of divorce
11:35:12   2018-06-10
6:0:51   2018-10-16
12:10:56   2022-11-17
9:30:2   2021-11-12
3:43:50   2022-11-05
2:5:14   2023-01-28
7:32:24   2022-02-14
8:39:51   2022-09-23
8:30:23   2022-03-03
5:41:46   2023-03-18
Albert Einstein once said: "Imagination is more important than science for it surrounds the world"
10:13:17   2022-06-08
LATEST |