11. Hydrogen storage

• To achieve efficient and widespread application of hydrogen energy, and even high

quality development of the hydrogen energy industry, a necessary prerequisite is the

development of safe and economical hydrogen storage and transportation technology

• The flammable and explosive physical properties of hydrogen gas determine that the

storage and transportation of hydrogen energy require a high level of technology

Hydrogen is notoriously difficult to contain!

• gas storage (e.g. Type 4 tank)

• liquefied (Cryogenic) (-253°C)

• solid state st.

is an excavated subterranean chamber in hard rock

formations sealed with a special lining system to create a

the surrounding rock mass handles the pressure and

the lining system provides a barrier to prevent gas

leakage and maintain the structural integrity of the cavern

flexibility allows for the installation of extensive

hydrogen storage infrastructures in strategic vicinities

such as near industrial clusters, power generation plants,

major airports, renewable energy hubs, and import/export

stations

+ Flexibility in choosing a strategic location near industrial cluster, import/export stations

+ Structural stability

+ Facilitating efficient injection

+ High deliverability for short-term peak loads

+ Using existing rock formation

- Reducing land use

- High initial costs

- Environmental issues on e.g. the groundwater

• artificially constructed chambers

• Salt caverns are cavities solution mined within suitable (halite-dominated) salt formations using fresh water to dissolve the salt rock

+ High sealing capability: long-term storage

+ High security because of inert to hydrogen

+ High withdrawal and injection rate, multiple cycles

- Location specific (only suitable geological salt deposits)

- Uncontrolled leaching (cause structural issues, risking safety)

- Initial costs of construction and maintanence can be high

• combination of porous rocks, overlain by impermeable mudstones which form a sealing caprock

• Ideal candidate to provide inter-seasonal, TWh-scale hydrogen storage

• the initial construction aimed to extract natural resources, not gas storage

• For depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs, pre-existing infrastructures could be used after appropriate modifications

+ High storage density: Stores large amounts of hydrogen

+ Safety: Less explosive and safer than pure hydrogen

+ Controlled release: Hydrogen release manipulated by adjusting temperature and pressure

- Weight: Heavier than other storage options

- Temperature sensitivity: Requires specific temperatures to release and store hydrogen

- Cost: Some hydrides use rare or expensive metals, making them costly

Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers

• LOHC allows hydrogen to be stored as a liquid at normal conditions, by binding it to an organic molecule

• This hydrogen-filled liquid can be used and transported like regular liquid fuel

• To use the hydrogen, it must be separated from the carrier molecule using heat and a catalyst

• Hydrogenation and dehydrogenation processes occur at temperatures between 150 and 310°C

+ Safely stores hydrogen at atmospheric pressure and room temperature

+ Lower infrastructure costs for storage and transport 

+ High storage efficiency per unit volume

- Energy-intensive conversion process increases costs

- Potentially harmful to the environment if mishandled during manufacture and disposal

- Still under development, with technical challenges