# US 11,440,796 B2 · Metal hydride compressor control device and method

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- Number: US 11,440,796 B2
- Document ID: US11440796B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/956,742
- Filed: 2018-11-16
- Published: 2021-01-14
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2017-12-22
- Assignees: Ecole Polytechnique Federale De Lausanne (Epfl)
- Applicants: Ecole Polytechnique Federale De Lausanne (Epfl)
- Inventors: Noris Gallandat; Andreas Züttel
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11440796B2

## CPC

- C01B 3/0031: Intermetallic compounds; Metal alloys
- F04B 19/24: Pumping by heat expansion of pumped fluid
- F04B 15/00: Pumps adapted to handle specific fluids, e.g. by selection of specific materials for pumps or pump parts
- F04B 19/06: Pumps for delivery of both liquid and elastic fluids at the same time (wet gas pumps F04B37/20)
- F04B 37/02: for evacuating by absorption or adsorption
- F04B 37/18: for specific elastic fluids
- C01B: NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; {METALLOIDS OR COMPOUNDS THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASS C01C}
- F04B: POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS (machines for liquids, or pumps, of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston type F04C; non-positive-displacement pumps F04D; pumping of fluid by direct contact of another fluid or by using inertia of fluid to be pumped F04F)

## Abstract

The present relates to a Metal hydride compressor control method for generating a variable output pressure P_desired_outPut, comprising a first step of inflowing gaseous hydrogen into a metal hydride compartment at a constant temperature and then stopping the gaseous hydrogen inflow, a second step of heating the metal hydride to a predetermined temperature which corresponds to a temperature which passes through the α+β phase at the desired output pressure P_desired_output, a third step of opening the output connection of the compressor and keeping it at a constant pressure by regulating the temperature to keep a constant output pressure P_desired_outPut until the system completely leaves the α+β phase.

## Claims

### Claim 1

Metal hydride compressor control method for generating a variable output pressure P_desired_output, comprising
a first step of inflowing gaseous hydrogen into a metal hydride compartment at a constant temperature and then stopping the gaseous hydrogen inflow,
a second step of heating the metal hydride to a predetermined temperature, which corresponds to a temperature, which passes through an α+β phase and leaves the α+β phase at the desired output pressure P_desired_output
a third step of opening an output connection of the compressor and keeping it at a constant pressure by regulating the temperature to keep a constant output pressure P_desired_output until the system completely leaves the α+β phase.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

Metal hydride compressor control method according to claim 1, characterized in that the first step also comprises cooling the metal hydride to keep its temperature constant.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

Metal hydride compressor control method to claim 1 characterized in that the first step is continued until the border of the α+β phase is reached.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

Metal hydride compressor control method according to claim 1 characterized in that the temperature regulation is done with a control approach chosen in the group including PID control, MIMO control or control with any number of inputs and outputs and different sensing devices.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

Metal hydride compressor control method according to claim 1 to characterized in that a connection to a gaseous hydrogen source is closed using a closing means.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

Metal hydride compressor control method according to claim 1 characterized in that the output connection of the compressor is opened with a opening/closing means.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

Metal hydride compressor control method according to claim 1 characterized in that at the end of step three, when the H2 has been completely outputted, the output connection is closed and the system is cooled down.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

Metal hydride compressor control method according to claim 1 characterized in that at the end of the cooling a further cycle starts again, to generate a different pressure than in the previous cycle by choosing a different temperature T3 in the second step.