Fabrication of vanadium-based alloy for hydrogen storage

December 22nd, 2021

R&D Focus Areas:
Hydrides, Advanced manufacturing

Lead Organisation:
RMIT University

Partners:
CSIRO, QinetiQ Australia

Status:
Active

Start date:
October 2020

Completion date:
November 2023

Key contacts:
Senior Researcher Daniel Liang: daniel.liang@csiro.au

Funding:
Defence Innovation Hub

Project total cost:
AUD$210,000

Project summary description:
The project is to produce V-Ti-Cr alloy materials at CSIRO as hydrogen storage materials. The materials produced will be used by RMIT for hydrogen storage in developing a hydrogen fuel cell system for Defence.

This project focus is on scale-up of the production of the materials while maintaining required chemistries, microstructures, properties and the particular form specified. This is being done via three controls: solidification, deformation and activation for hydrogen absorption.

  1. Solidification: A combination of selection of heat-sink containing materials and optimisation of operational parameters such as melting temperature, melt treatment, the duration of solidification ensures the required cooling rate is achieved, which delivers the required microstructures and properties.
  1. Deformation: A continuous deformation process suitable for volume production is modified to break up the as-solidified materials into particular forms that are adequate for activating the reaction of the materials with hydrogen to form metal hydrides.
  1. Activation: A thermal management system incorporated the capabilities of heating, cooling and heat dissipation is designed to handle larger volume of the metal hydride materials safely and efficiently.

Related publications and key links:
Not applicable

Higher degree studies supported:
Not applicable

 

December 2021