Hydrogen cooled hydrogen storage unit having maximized cooling efficiency
AssigneeEnergy Conversion Devices, Inc.
InventorsStanford R. Ovshinsky, Rosa T. Young
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hydrogen cooled hydrogen storage unit which employs excess hydrogen flow through flow channels between hydrogen storage alloy plates in order to provide convective cooling of the plates. The unit provides for high packing density of the storage materials and ease of expansion of storage capacity by merely adding more storage material plates. Since the hydrogen flows transversely between the plates and does not flow along the entire length of the stack, the cooling flow path of the hydrogen is short, and the temperature differential between any point of the stack and the hydrogen coolant is maximized, which maximizes the cooling efficiency of the unit.
Claims23
A hydrogen gas cooled hydrogen storage unit comprising:
- a storage unit casing,
- a stack of a plurality of hydrogen storage alloy plates disposed within said storage unit casing;
- hydrogen flow channels provided between said hydrogen storage alloy plates, said flow channels providing transverse pathways between said hydrogen storage alloy plates to allow for high speed hydrogen gas flow, a portion of said hydrogen being stored within said storage material and releasing heat of hydride formation and the remainder of said hydrogen flowing through said hydrogen flow channels at a sufficient mass flow rate to remove said heat of hydride formation;
- said unit casing including:
- a hydrogen inlet port;
- a hydrogen inlet manifold;
- a hydrogen outlet manifold;
- a hydrogen outlet port and hydrogen deflection walls;
- and
- wherein said hydrogen inlet port, said hydrogen inlet manifold, said hydrogen outlet manifold, said hydrogen outlet port and said hydrogen deflection walls are designed and integrated such that hydrogen:
- 1) flows into the unit through the hydrogen inlet port, 2) is distributed throughout said hydrogen inlet manifold, 3) is then forced though said hydrogen flow channels by said hydrogen deflection walls, 4) is collected in said hydrogen outlet manifold, and 5) exits the unit though said hydrogen outlet port.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.