{"id":13929,"date":"2021-02-12T21:45:56","date_gmt":"2021-02-13T04:45:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/?p=13929"},"modified":"2021-02-12T21:45:56","modified_gmt":"2021-02-13T04:45:56","slug":"hydrogen-as-a-goop-fraunhofers-powerpaste","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/hydrogen-as-a-goop-fraunhofers-powerpaste\/","title":{"rendered":"Hydrogen as a Goop? Fraunhofer’s Powerpaste"},"content":{"rendered":"

Not Gwyneth Paltrow\u2019s Goop<\/strong><\/h4>\n

What if a different approach to storing hydrogen as a fuel gave benefits that are easily disbelieved?\u00a0 Would this new fuel find approval and widespread adoption?\u00a0 Ask the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (IFAM) in Dresden, Germany.\u00a0 The Institute has come up with something called Powerpaste, claimed to be, \u201cA safe way of storing hydrogen in a chemical form that is easy to transport and replenish without the need for an expensive network of filling stations.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Fraunhofer describes the paste as a “goop,” not to be confused with the very different fluids marketed by Gwyneth Paltrow under the “Goop” trade name.)<\/em><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve seen hydrogen flying for several decades, with Michael Friend leading a Boeing project to launch the first fuel-cell powered craft in 2008 and G\u00e9rard Thevenot flying his H2 fueled \u201ctrike\u201d across the English Channel in 2009 using only 550 grams per hour on his crossing, which took a little over an hour.<\/p>\n

Some problems prevent adaptation of this technology a decade later.\u00a0 Less than 50 hydrogen \u201cfilling stations\u201d exist in the United States, mostly in southern California.\u00a0 Only relatively local trips are practical at this time, and the number of hydrogen-fueled vehicles is not that significant.\u00a0\u00a0 As of March 21, 2020, \u201cThe U.S. has only 300 hydrogen cars (mostly in California)<\/a> and only 48 retail fueling stations (43 are in California).\u00a0 Only three H2 fueled cars are made by major manufacturers \u2013 the Toyota Mirai, the Hyundai Nexo, and the Honda Clarity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Only 6,500 H2 cars exist in the world. <\/a>\u00a0 That would mean no profit margins for their makers, and therefore almost negative incentive to push forward.\u00a0 Obviously, lack of a supporting infrastructure is a big reason for lack of demand, just as hampering as the low number of charging stations was to battery electric vehicles 15 years ago.<\/p>\n

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Powerpaste in its raw form, as possibly packaged for consumers, and as produced by an industrial machine at room temperature and relatively low pressures.<\/p><\/div>\n

Today, most hydrogen for vehicles has to be stored in high-pressure cylinders.\u00a0 Transporting the gas is fraught with problems (if not dangers) and thus is costly.\u00a0 Fraunhofer sees a change coming, however.\u00a0 \u201cGasoline and diesel engines, which are powered by fossil fuels, will soon be sidelined by climate change. Instead, new propulsion systems will be required. One fuel with a big potential is hydrogen. Hydrogen vehicles are equipped with a reinforced tank that is fueled at a pressure of 700 bar (10152.6 pounds per square inch). This tank feeds a fuel cell, which converts the hydrogen into electricity. This in turn drives an electric motor to propel the vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Obviously, anything stored at 700 times atmospheric pressure is an explosive threat in itself without adding the flammable nature of hydrogen.<\/p>\n

Fraunhofer offers a different new way to avoid those hazards, while offering energy and power densities several times those of lithium batteries.<\/p>\n

Powerpaste \u2013 Just Add Water<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A Fraunhofer press release promotes the stuff.\u00a0 \u201c\u2019POWERPASTE stores hydrogen in a chemical form at room temperature and atmospheric pressure to be then released on demand,\u2019 explains Dr. Marcus Vogt, research associate at Fraunhofer IFAM. And given that POWERPASTE only begins to decompose at temperatures of around 250 \u00b0C, it remains safe even when an e-scooter stands in the baking sun for hours<\/a>. Moreover, refueling is extremely simple. Instead of heading to the filling station, riders merely have to replace an empty cartridge with a new one and then refill a tank with mains water. This can be done either at home or underway.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Power Paste, which includes magnesium hydride, reacts with water to form hydrogen gas<\/p><\/div>\n

This blog examined the idea of cartridge storage and replacement as early as 2012.<\/a>\u00a0 A Hawaiian operation that offered scooter rentals with H2 tank swaps at their stopping points is apparently no longer in business, but similar operations in Taiwan are growing.\u00a0 Taiwan is small enough that scooter company Gogoro has hundreds of battery swap stations all over the island<\/a>, negating range anxiety.\u00a0 Perhaps H2 swaps could work as well, with some makers looking at that option.<\/a><\/p>\n