Research Projects

In many applications, the prevalent method of hydrogen storage is in gaseous state under high compression in order to enhance energy density. A significant amount of energy is consumed (up to 20% of lower heating value of hydrogen) in hydrogen compression. However, the typical requirement for hydrogen pressure at the application side, such as fuel cell inlet (anode) is between 2 and 20 bar. Therefore, in the current practices, a pressure reduction valve is commonly employed which results in loss of available energy associated with the high-pressure hydrogen. Therefore, metal hydride-based thermochemical high-pressure hydrogen energy recovery technique is proposed, and its feasibility will be demonstrated in the contexts of fuel cell vehicles and power generation applications. The present proposal aims to develop an intermediate metal hydride-based heating and cooling system to partially fulfil energy demands of the intended applications, and thereby improving the overall efficiency of the hydrogen-based systems. The innovation lies in designing an affordable and dual-purpose system capable of absorbing hydrogen at pressures up to 200 bar, while releasing it at low pressure, utilizing the exothermic/endothermic nature of adsoption/desorption to produce a heating/cooling effect. AB2-type alloys will be investigated as they are rare-earth-free materials, and therefore offer relatively low-cost, indigenization, promising hydrogen storage capabilities, and faster kinetics, especially when doped or nanostructured to enhance kinetics and thermodynamic behavior. Hypothesis/model to be tested: We hypothesize that synthesized AB2-type hydride materials (predominantly – Ti, Zr, Cr), when activated and doped with catalytic elements (such as Mn, V, or Ni), can exhibit fast kinetics and moderately low desorption enthalpy, making them suitable for reversible hydrogen storage and low-temperature desorption-induced cooling. By integrating these hydrides into a high-strength reactor system with proper thermal and pressure control, it is possible to recover a portion of the energy used during compression and use it for useful thermal work, thus enhancing overall system efficiency. The main experiments comprised of material synthesis, thermogravimetric and pressure–composition–temperature (PCT) analysis, cycling tests under high-pressure hydrogen, thermal behavior mapping, and lab prototyping. A lab based prototype of the proposed system will be developed comprised of a (700/350/200) bar hydrogen cylinder, fuel cell stack (PEM type, up to 1 kW), two MH reactors (less than100 standard liter of hydrogen storage) with heat exchangers, instrumentation and control system for transient operation required for intended applications. The combined utilization of power and heat from the proposed energy recovery techniques is expected to improve the overall energy efficiency up to 5%. Justification of the work and expected outcomes: This project will deliver a compact, cost-competitive, dual-use hydrogen storage and energy recovery system. The proposed energy recovery system is crucial for any high-pressure hydrogen energy technology, and therefore paves the way for its broader adoption with improved efficiency. It will also develop a fundamental understanding of hydrogen-metal interactions in AB2-type metal hydride systems under high-pressure regimes, and a critical missing component in solid-state hydrogen storage applications. This work directly contributes to advancing hydrogen energy storage, thermal management, and green cooling technologies, aligning with national and global objectives for clean energy innovation. Furthermore, it opens new possibilities in designing metal hydride-based heat pumps, solid-state chillers, and integrated hydrogen energy modules, and helps in strengthening India’s position in hydrogen technology development.