<p>This dissertation
describes the design and characterization of a lightweight hydrogen reactor coupled
to a proton exchange membrane fuel cell for portable power delivery. The system
is intended to recharge portable batteries in the absence of an established
electrical power supply. The presented work can be divided into two endeavors;
the first being an investigation of various hydrogen generation pathways and
the second being the design, fabrication, and testing of a system to house
hydrogen generation and deliver electrical power.</p>
<p>Two hydrogen storage
materials are considered for this work: ammonia borane and sodium borohydride.
Organic acids are investigated for their ability to accelerate the hydrolysis of
either material and generate hydrogen on-demand. In the case of ammonia borane,
organic acids are investigated for a secondary role beyond reaction
acceleration, serving also to purify the gas stream by capturing the ammonia
that is produced during hydrolysis. Organic acids are found to accelerate the hydrolysis
of ammonia borane and sodium borohydride with relative indifference towards the
purity of water being used. This is advantageous as it allows the user to
collect water at the point of use rather than transport highly pure water for
use as a reactant. Collecting water at the point of use increases system energy
density as only ammonia borane or sodium borohydride and an organic acid are transported
with the system hardware.</p>
<p>A custom hydrogen reactor
is developed to facilitate hydrolysis of ammonia borane or sodium borohydride.
The reactor is paired with a fuel cell to generate electrical power. The rate
of hydrogen being generated by the system is modulated to match the fuel cell’s
consumption rate and maintain a relatively constant pressure inside the
reactor. This allows the system to satisfy a wide range of hydrogen consumption
rates without risking over pressurization. The system is shown to produce up to
0.5 sLpm of hydrogen without exceeding 30 psia of hydrogen pressure
or a temperature rise greater than 35°C.</p><p>The envisioned use for this system is portable
battery charging for expeditionary forces within the United States military. This
application informed several design choices and is considered when evaluating
technological maturation. It is also used to compare the designed system to
existing energy storage technologies.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:purdue.edu/oai:figshare.com:article/12693356 |
| Date | 29 July 2020 |
| Creators | Taylor B Groom (9154769) |
| Source Sets | Purdue University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis |
| Rights | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 |
| Relation | https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Development_of_Hydrogen-Based_Portable_Power_Systems_for_Defense_Applications/12693356 |
Page generated in 0.0022 seconds