Design of a new generation of conformable high-pressure vessels for gaseous fuels in automotive applications

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Increasingly challenging regulatory/environmental and economic concerns are driving the need for expanded use of alternative energy sources, such as compressed natural gas, hydrogen, and batteries, among others. Regulatory drivers such as California's Zero Emissions Vehicle mandate and The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Corporate Average Fuel Economy mandate will require Original Equipment Manufacturers to adjust fleet volume combinations to include fuel cell, compressed natural gas, and electrified vehicles. No one fuel source or power-train can achieve all the requirements; rather, a combination of these fuels will be required for various platforms across the fleet. Chrysler views compressed natural gas as a promising economically viable near term solution to assist in achieving these mandates. The proposed research focuses on exploring a novel storage vessel technology for compressed natural gas inspired by branching networks observed in nature, such as the lungs. Specifically, this proposal aims to develop a framework for designing compressed natural gas vessels consisting of a series of tubes to fit into an arbitrary geometry. The design methodology is founded in the concept of fractals, whereby a simple pattern is used to construct a complex structure. This idea will be used to develop an algorithm for fitting a series of branching tubes with a range of diameters into an arbitrary shape such that the gas storage capacity is at least 70% (70% of the arbitrary volume is available for gas storage), while maintaining structural integrity and reasonable fill times.