Metal hydride compressor control device and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11440796-B2
Application number	US-201816956742-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2018
Priority date	Dec 22, 2017
Publication date	Sep 13, 2022
Grant date	Sep 13, 2022

Abstract

The present relates to a Metal hydride compressor control method for generating a variable output pressure P_desired_outPut, comprising a first step of inflowing gaseous hydrogen into a metal hydride compartment at a constant temperature and then stopping the gaseous hydrogen inflow, a second step of heating the metal hydride to a predetermined temperature which corresponds to a temperature which passes through the α+β phase at the desired output pressure P_desired_output, a third step of opening the output connection of the compressor and keeping it at a constant pressure by regulating the temperature to keep a constant output pressure P_desired_outPut until the system completely leaves the α+β phase.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Metal hydride compressor control method for generating a variable output pressure P _desired_output , comprising
a first step of inflowing gaseous hydrogen into a metal hydride compartment at a constant temperature and then stopping the gaseous hydrogen inflow,
a second step of heating the metal hydride to a predetermined temperature, which corresponds to a temperature, which passes through an α+β phase and leaves the α+β phase at the desired output pressure P _desired_output
a third step of opening an output connection of the compressor and keeping it at a constant pressure by regulating the temperature to keep a constant output pressure P _desired_output until the system completely leaves the α+β phase.

2. Metal hydride compressor control method according to claim 1 , characterized in that the first step also comprises cooling the metal hydride to keep its temperature constant.

3. Metal hydride compressor control method to claim 1 characterized in that the first step is continued until the border of the α+β phase is reached.

4. Metal hydride compressor control method according to claim 1 characterized in that the temperature regulation is done with a control approach chosen in the group including PID control, MIMO control or control with any number of inputs and outputs and different sensing devices.

5. Metal hydride compressor control method according to claim 1 to characterized in that a connection to a gaseous hydrogen source is closed using a closing means.

6. Metal hydride compressor control method according to claim 1 characterized in that the output connection of the compressor is opened with a opening/closing means.

7. Metal hydride compressor control method according to claim 1 characterized in that at the end of step three, when the H 2 has been completely outputted, the output connection is closed and the system is cooled down.

8. Metal hydride compressor control method according to claim 1 characterized in that at the end of the cooling a further cycle starts again, to generate a different pressure than in the previous cycle by choosing a different temperature T 3 in the second step.

Assignees

• Ecole Polytechnique Fed Lausanne Epfl

Inventors

• Gallandat Noris
• Züttel Andreas

Classifications

• F04B15/00 Primary

  Pumps adapted to handle specific fluids, e.g. by selection of specific materials for pumps or pump parts · CPC title

• F04B19/06

  Pumps for delivery of both liquid and elastic fluids at the same time (wet gas pumps F04B37/20) · CPC title

• F04B19/24 Primary

  Pumping by heat expansion of pumped fluid · CPC title

• C01B3/0031 Primary

  Intermetallic compounds; Metal alloys · CPC title

• F04B37/02

  for evacuating by absorption or adsorption · CPC title