Modelling the potential of adsorbed hydrogen for use in aviation

A novel method for modelling the amount of hydrogen in high-pressure tanks containing varying quantities of adsorbent has been extended to allow calculation of the energy density and the specific energy of the storage system. An example calculation, using TE7 activated carbon beads as an adsorbent, has been conducted over a range of temperatures and compared to alternative energy storage methods, including conventional high-pressure methods. The results indicate that adsorption of hydrogen yields a higher energy density than direct compression up to a certain pressure, which is dependent on the temperature. A preliminary comparison shows adsorbed hydrogen to be superior to battery storage technologies for both energy density and specific energy stored, although further calculations are required to expand the system boundaries used. Adsorbed hydrogen in a range of materials resulted in much lower energy density and specific energy than standard jet fuels such as kerosene, proving that advancement in the materials is required, especially intrinsic hydrogen storage capacity, before adsorption becomes a competitive energy storage technology for aviation.