SBIR Phase II: Conformable Hydrogen Storage for Aviation

小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第二阶段项目的更广泛影响是，通过推进轻质可整合储氢罐的开发，使航空业能够减少温室气体排放，该储氢罐能够以超过10%的重量效率储存氢气。开发一种储存效率为10%的可整合储罐，这将立即对氢气取代现有运输燃料的潜力产生影响，这超出了现有技术的潜力。虽然航空应用为氢存储带来了独特的挑战，但该项目的结果将使更多类型的运输燃料市场受益，这些市场对轻型、安全和经济可行的存储解决方案的需求正在增加。高压气态氢的储存是零排放燃料的一个重大障碍，满足最小爆炸压力、循环运行、极端温度运行以及用符合标准的储罐进行氢渗透将为各种短期应用打开大门，从而减少与运输相关的排放，并减轻将碳纤维储罐送往垃圾填埋场的负担。这一小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第二阶段项目将解决与航空燃料用轻质氢气罐商业化相关的挑战。航空业的脱碳需要零排放动力总成技术。然而，目前的电池技术缺乏支持远程飞行的存储效率，现有的储氢罐过于笨重和笨重，不实用。该项目的研究目标是提高符合标准的坦克的重量效率，填补部件认证合规性剩余障碍中的空白，并生产适合于台架试验和飞行试验评估的原型坦克。这项研究将涉及优化压力容器加固结构，生产符合要求的储罐样品，测试符合现有氢气罐法规的样品，以及与飞机制造商和监管机构合作，确定和满足额外的性能要求。一旦完成，该项目将产生全尺寸(2.5公斤及以上)、符合标准、可生产的可扩展水箱，用于持续部件和适航性评估。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to enable the reduction of greenhouse gases by the aviation industry by advancing the development of a lightweight conformable tank capable of storing hydrogen at a gravimetric efficiency of over 10% hydrogen by mass. The development of a conformable tank with a 10% storage efficiency, which exceeds the potential of existing technology, would have an immediate impact on the potential for hydrogen to replace existing transportation fuels. While the aviation application introduces unique challenges for hydrogen storage, the results of this project will benefit a wider variety of transportation fuel markets, where demand for lightweight, safe, and economically viable storage solutions is increasing. The storage of high-pressure gaseous hydrogen is a significant obstacle for zero emissions fuels, and meeting the standards for minimum burst pressure, cyclic operation, extreme temperature operation, and hydrogen permeation with a conformable tank will open the door to a wide variety of near-term applications, enabling the reduction of transportation-related emissions and reducing the burden of sending carbon fiber tanks to landfills at the end of their lives. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will address the challenges related to the commercialization of a lightweight hydrogen tank for aviation fuel. The decarbonization of the aviation industry requires zero-emissions powertrain technologies. However, current battery technologies lack the storage efficiency to support long-range flights, and existing hydrogen storage tanks are too heavy and cumbersome to be practical. The research objectives of this project are to increase the gravimetric efficiency of conformable tanks, close the gaps in the remaining barriers to component certification compliance, and produce prototype tanks suitable for bench testing and evaluation for flight testing. The research will involve the optimization of the pressure vessel reinforcement structure, the production of conformable tank samples, the testing of samples for the existing hydrogen tank regulations, and the collaboration with airplane manufacturers and regulators to identify and address additional performance requirements. Once completed, the project will result in full-scale (2.5 kg and above), standards-compliant, production scalable tanks for continued component and flight-worthiness evaluations.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.