Work

Conceptual design of a metal hydride system for the recovery of gaseous hydrogen boil-off losses from LH2 tanks

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Liquid hydrogen (LH2) is a promising energy carrier to decrease the climate impact of aviation. However, the inevitable formation of hydrogen boil-off gas (BOG) is a main drawback of LH2. As the venting of BOG reduces the overall efficiency and implies a safety risk at the airport, means for capturing and re-using should be implemented. Metal hydrides (MHs) offer promising approaches for BOG recovery, as they can directly absorb the BOG at ambient pressures and temperatures. Hence, this study elaborates a design concept for such an MH-based BOG recovery system at hydrogen-ready airports. The conceptual design involves the following process steps: identify the requirements, establish a functional structure, determine working principles and combine the working principles to generate a promising solution.

Source: The Aeronautical Journal

DOI: 10.1017/aer.2025.10087

Authors: F. Franke, S. Kazula

Institution: Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR)

Language: English

Topic: Spacecraft and Cryogenic Technologies

Subfield: Aerospace Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,550