Hydrogen storage is often cited as the greatest obstacle to achieving a hydrogen economy free of environmental pollution and dependence on foreign oil. A compact high-pressure cryogenic storage system has promising features to the storage challenge associated with hydrogen-powered vehicles. Cryogenic pressure vessels consist of an inner vessel designed for high pressure (350 bar) insulated with reflective sheets of metalized plastic and enclosed within an outer metallic vacuum jacket. When filled with pressurized liquid hydrogen, cryogenic pressure vessels become the most compact form of hydrogen storage available. A recent prototype is the only automotive hydrogen vessel meeting both Department of Energy's 2017 weight and volume targets. When installed onboard an experimental vehicle, a cryogenic pressure vessel demonstrated the longest driving distance with a single H-2 tank (1050 km). In a subsequent experiment, the vessel demonstrated unprecedented thermal endurance: 8 days parking with no evaporative losses, extending to a month if the vehicle is driven as little as 8 km per day. Calculations indicate that cryogenic vessels offer compelling safety advantages and the lowest total ownership cost of hydrogen storage technologies. Long-term (similar to 10 years) vacuum stability (necessary for high performance thermal insulation) is the key outstanding technical challenge. Testing continues to establish technical feasibility and safety. Copyright (C) 2012, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

We have developed a web-based hydrogen safety class and are developing a hands-on hydrogen safety class. The 4-h web-based class is directed to laboratory researchers who need basic hydrogen safety information (free online access at http://www.h2labsafety.org/), and it addresses hydrogen fundamentals: properties, pressure and cryogenic safety, emergency response and codes and standards. Technical operators in charge of building and testing experimental hydrogen equipment will also soon benefit from a more comprehensive 3-day hands-on safety class that will present detailed information for installation, testing and operation of hydrogen pressurized systems. The hands-on class includes a full day of classroom instruction followed by two days of laboratory work where students assemble, test and operate a pressure system based on a schematic and component description. Copyright (C) 2012, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In considering structural materials for fusion reactors a detailed understanding of the transport parameters and solubility of hydrogen and its isotopes is an important issue which deal with safety and blanket performance aspects. The experimental activities were focused on the determination of hydrogen/deuterium transport parameters through Eurofer 97 in the temperature range 423+723K using a time dependant permeation technique The hydrogen permeation and diffusivity at room temperature and density of trapping sites were also evaluated using Devanathan's technique. Hydrogen / deuterium permeation experiments on Eurofer 97 showed a non-negligible decrease in permeability with respect to other fusion oriented martensitic steels, even if it remains about one order of magnitude higher compared with that of austenitic AISI 316L steel.

The higher-order structure (HOS) of a protein (secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structure) is important for proper biological function. Analytically measuring the HOS properties of a biotherapeutic and understanding the relationships between structure and function are important, because they directly influence a drug's efficacy and safety. This article looks at how hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS), an MS-based labelling approach, has begun to serve as a means for performing routine biophysical analysis.

Leading physical and materials-based hydrogen storage options are evaluated for their potential to meet the vehicular targets for gravimetric and volumetric capacity, cost, efficiency, durability and operability, fuel purity, and environmental health and safety. Our analyses show that hydrogen stored as a compressed gas at 350-700 bar in Type III or Type IV tanks cannot meet the near-term volumetric target of 28 g/L. The problems of dormancy and hydrogen loss with conventional liquid H-2 storage can be mitigated by deploying pressure-bearing insulated tanks. Alane (AlH3) is an attractive hydrogen carrier if it can be prepared and used as a slurry with >50%2solids loading and an appropriate volume-exchange tank is developed. Regenerating AlH3 is a major problem, however, since it is metastable and it cannot be directly formed by reacting the spent Al with H-2. We have evaluated two sorption-based hydrogen storage systems, one using AX-21, a high surface-area superactivated carbon, and the other using MOF-177, a metal-organic framework material. Releasing hydrogen by hydrolysis of sodium borohydride presents difficult chemical, thermal and water management issues, and regenerating NaBH4 by converting B-O bonds is energy intensive. We have evaluated the option of using organic liquid carriers, such as n-ethylcarbazole, which can be dehydrogenated thermolytically on-board a vehicle and rehydrogenated efficiently in a central plant by established methods and processes. While ammonia borane has a high hydrogen content, a solvent that keeps it in a liquid state needs to be found, and developing an AB regeneration scheme that is practical, economical and efficient remains a major challenge. Copyright (C) 2011, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hydrogen based electric systems can be used as a substitute for large battery banks in distribution systems, especially in applications where there is a big concern for environmental safety. Recent advances in hydrogen technologies allow the conversion back and forth between electric energy and hydrogen; increasing efficiency and reducing costs. A bidirectional Multilevel Current Source Inverter (MCSI) is used to interconnect an electrolyzer and a fuel cell within a low voltage distribution system. The energy storage and the MCSI allow smoothing the power variations which appear in electrical systems with a considerable proportion of wind and/or solar generation.

Recent advances in hydrogen technologies allow the conversion between electric energy and hydrogen, increasing efficiency and reducing costs. Electric systems based on Hydrogen technology can be used to replace large battery banks in distribution systems, especially in green applications or where there is a big concern for environmental safety. A hydrogen based energy system with storage at high pressure allows smoothing the power variations which appear in electrical systems with a considerable proportion of wind and/or solar generation. A bidirectional Multilevel Current Source Inverter is used to interconnect an electrolyzer and a fuel cell within a low voltage distribution system with high efficiency and reliability. The proposed structure is simulated thoroughly with Matlab/Simulink, showing a proper behavior for the applications of interest. Copyright (C) 2012, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hydrogen deflagration in confined spaces is an important safety issue. The dispersion of a stratified layer of hydrogen due to molecular diffusion is studied. It represents an important class of problems related to long term behaviour of hydrogen release in confined spaces. Diffusion being a slow process, gives an upper bound on the time taken for the stratified layer to mix with air below. A method, based on four indices, namely, average mole fraction (of hydrogen), non-uniformity index, deflagration volume fraction and deflagration pressure ratio, developed recently by the authors, is used to provide vital temporal information on mixing of the stratified layer with air below and formation of flammable cloud in the enclosure. In the present paper, stratified layers of different thickness are considered and the temporal evolutions of the above indices are plotted against diffusion Fourier number. The results in non-dimensional form provide an upper bound of the time that would be required to form a uniform mixture and to attain a state with respect to deflagration potential for enclosures of different sizes. This estimate is an important input for planning mitigation measures before the accident and for post accident investigations. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In the represented work the experimental results on the study of the accumulation of molecular hydrogen in radiation and radiation-thermal heterogeneous processes in connection of metallic zirconium and stainless steel with water were summarized. Besides this, it was shown that the results obtained serve as a base for checking the scenarios of normal and emergency conditions of nuclear reactors refrigerated by water.