SBIR Phase II: Conformable Hydrogen Storage for Aviation

该小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目的更广泛影响是通过推进开发能够以超过10%的重量效率储存氢气的轻型适形罐来减少航空业的温室气体。开发一种储存效率为10%的可适应的储箱，这超过了现有技术的潜力，将对氢替代现有运输燃料的潜力产生直接影响。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广泛的运输燃料市场受益，这些市场对轻质，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，并且满足最小爆裂压力、循环操作、极端温度操作和具有适形罐的氢渗透的标准将为各种各样的近期应用打开大门，能够减少与运输相关的排放，并减轻在碳纤维罐使用寿命结束时将其送往垃圾填埋场的负担。该小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目将解决与航空燃料轻型氢气罐商业化相关的挑战。航空业的脱碳需要零排放动力系统技术。然而，目前的电池技术缺乏支持远程飞行的存储效率，并且现有的储氢罐太重太笨重而不实用。该项目的研究目标是提高适形油箱的重量效率，消除部件认证合规性的剩余障碍，并生产适合于台架测试和飞行测试评估的原型油箱。该研究将涉及压力容器加固结构的优化，适形罐样品的生产，现有氢罐法规的样品测试，以及与飞机制造商和监管机构合作，以确定和解决额外的性能要求。一旦完成，该项目将产生全尺寸（2.5公斤及以上），符合标准，生产可扩展的坦克，用于持续的组件和飞行价值评估。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

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.