Gas-based hydride applications: recent progress and future needs

Hydride applications can be cataloged under five main categories: H2 storage, thermal compression (including closed thermodynamic systems), gas separation, electrochemical and processing and miscellaneous. Recent commercial and R&D hydride applications activities are reviewed herein (excluding the NiMH battery). Growing interest in fuel cell power has stimulated interest in hydride storage of H2, with good near-term commercial potential in the subcategories of stationary, small portable and on-board vehicular storage. The competition for vehicular hydride storage is high pressure compressed H2 held in lightweight composite cylinders. If hydrides are to compete, we must develop radical new concepts to substantially increase the gravimetric capacity at low desorption temperatures.