초록 ▼

The present invention relates to a gas storage and dispensing system, which comprising a carrier material for a target gas and multiple microtubular elements in contact with such carrier material. Each microtubular element comprises a tubular wall that defines a bore side and a shell side that are

The present invention relates to a gas storage and dispensing system, which comprising a carrier material for a target gas and multiple microtubular elements in contact with such carrier material. Each microtubular element comprises a tubular wall that defines a bore side and a shell side that are sealed from each other, preferably by one or more potting members. The carrier material is either at the bore sides or at the shell sides of the microtubular elements, and it can be either a solid sorbent material for the target gas, or a liquid carrier therefor. Such gas storage and dispensing system is particular useful for hydrogen storage, when the carrier material can be a hydrogen-sorbent that contains hydrogen gas, or liquefied hydrogen, or an organic hydrogen solution, or a metal hydride solution capable of generating hydrogen gas. Such microtubular elements can further be designed as microfibrous fuel cells, while each microfibrous fuel cell comprises a carrier material at its bore side.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A storage and dispensing system for storing and dispensing a target gas, comprising: (a) a housing for containment of carrier material for the target gas, said housing comprising a gas collection compartment and a gas storage compartment, and being adapted to hold a volume of

What is claimed is: 1. A storage and dispensing system for storing and dispensing a target gas, comprising: (a) a housing for containment of carrier material for the target gas, said housing comprising a gas collection compartment and a gas storage compartment, and being adapted to hold a volume of said carrier material in isolation from an exterior environment of the housing; (b) a plurality of microtubular elements disposed in said housing i) having an outer diameter in a range of from 10 micrometers to 1 millimeter, ii) one or more open ends in fluid communication with either the gas collection compartment or the gas storage compartment and iii) extending from said compartment with which it is in fluid communication and into the other compartment, wherein each of said microtubular elements comprises a tubular wall defining a bore side and a shell side, and wherein the bore side of each of said microtubular elements is sealed from the shell side thereof; (c) a seal which, together with the tubular walls, sealingly isolates the gas collection compartment from the gas storage compartment; and (d) a carrier material for storing said target gas, wherein said carrier material is disposed in said gas storage compartment and stored in said housing in isolation from the exterior environment of said housing, and wherein the gas storage compartment is at either the bore sides or the shell sides of said microtubular elements. 2. The storage and dispensing system of claim 1, wherein the carrier material for said target gas is disposed at the bore sides of said microtubular elements. 3. The storage and dispensing system of claim 2, wherein the carrier material for said target gas comprises at least one sorbent material having sorptive affinity for the target gas. 4. The storage and dispensing system of claim 3, wherein said sorbent material comprises a physical sorbent and/or a chemisorbent. 5. The storage and dispensing system of claim 3, wherein the target gas comprises hydrogen, and wherein the sorbent material comprises at least one hydrogen-sorbent. 6. The storage and dispensing system of claim 5, wherein said at least one hydrogen-sorbent comprises a material selected from the group consisting of metal hydride alloys, carbonaceous materials, zeolites, silica gels, amorphous metal compositions, and molecular sieves. 7. The storage and dispensing system of claim 2, wherein the tubular walls of said microtubular elements are not permeable to the target gas. 8. The storage and dispensing system of claim 2, wherein the carrier material for said target gas comprises a liquid carrier material. 9. The storage and dispensing system of claim 8, wherein the target gas comprises hydrogen, and wherein the liquid carrier material comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of liquefied hydrogen, organic hydrogen solvents, and metal hydride solutions. 10. The storage and dispensing system of claim 1, wherein the carrier material for said target gas is disposed at the shell sides of said microtubular elements. 11. The storage and dispensing system of claim 10, wherein the carrier material comprises at least one sorbent material having sorptive affinity for the target gas. 12. The storage and dispensing system of claim 11, wherein said at least one sorbent material comprises a physical sorbent and/or a chemisorbent. 13. The storage and dispensing system of claim 11, wherein the target gas comprises hydrogen, and wherein the sorbent material comprises at least one hydrogen-sorbent. 14. The storage and dispensing system of claim 13, wherein said at least one hydrogen-sorbent comprises a material selected from the group consisting of metal hydride alloys, carbonaceous materials, zeolites, silica gels, amorphous metal compositions, and molecular sieves. 15. The storage and dispensing system of claim 10, wherein the carrier material for said target gas comprises a liquid carrier material. 16. The storage and dispensing system of claim 15, wherein the target gas comprises hydrogen, and wherein the liquid carrier material comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of liquefied hydrogen, organic hydrogen solvents, and metal hydride solutions. 17. The storage and dispensing system of claim 16, wherein the seal comprises one or more potting members at or proximate to the one or more open ends of said microtubular elements on the bore sides of said microtubular elements, and providing a leak-tight seal, wherein said one or more potting members, said tubular walls, and said housing define: (1) at least one liquid compartment for holding said liquid carrier material, and (2) at least one hydrogen collection compartment separated from said liquid compartment in a leak-tight manner, wherein said microtubular elements extend from said liquid compartment to said hydrogen collection compartment, so that the shell sides of said microtubular elements at least partially contact the liquid carrier material in the liquid compartment, and that the bore sides of said microtubular elements are in fluid communication with said hydrogen collection compartment, and wherein the housing comprises at least one hydrogen outlet connected to said hydrogen collection compartment for dispensing hydrogen gas therefrom. 18. The storage and dispensing system of claim 17, wherein the tubular walls of the microtubular elements comprise a membrane material that is gas-permeable but liquid-impermeable. 19. The storage and dispensing system of claim 18, wherein said membrane material comprises a microporous, hydrophobic polymeric material. 20. The storage and dispensing system of claim 17, wherein the tubular walls of the microtubular elements comprises a first layer of structural material that is gas-and liquid-permeable, and a second layer of membrane material that is gas-permeable but liquid-impermeable. 21. The storage and dispensing system of claim 17, wherein the liquid carrier material comprises at least one metal hydride solution. 22. The storage and dispensing system of claim 21, wherein the metal hydride solution comprises NaBH4. 23. The storage and dispensing system of claim 22, wherein the metal hydride solution comprises NaBH4 at a concentration in a range of from about 10% to about 35% by total weight of said solution, and wherein the metal hydride solution further comprises sodium hydroxide at a concentration in a range of from about 2% to about 4% by total weight of said solution. 24. The storage and dispensing system of claim 21, further comprising a catalyst-based hydrogen release control mechanism associated with the liquid compartment. 25. The storage and dispensing system of claim 21, further comprising a pH-based hydrogen release control mechanism associated with the liquid compartment. 26. The storage and dispensing system of claim 21, further comprising a water supply for controllably adding water to the liquid compartment. 27. The storage and dispensing system of claim 26, arranged and configured for supplying hydrogen gas to a downstream hydrogen fuel cell assembly for generation of electrical energy, wherein said hydrogen fuel cell assembly comprises a water management mechanism for removing water generated during the electrochemical reaction from said assembly, and wherein the water supply of said storage and dispensing system is connected to the water management mechanism of the hydrogen fuel cell assembly, so that the water generated by said hydrogen fuel cell assembly is controllably added to the liquid compartment of the storage and dispensing system. 28. The storage and dispensing system of claim 21, wherein each of the tubular walls of said microtubular elements comprises a first layer of a catalyst material, a second layer of a membrane material that is gas-permeable but liquid-impermeable, and a third layer of a structural material that is gas-and liquid-permeable. 29. The storage and dispensing system of claim 21, wherein the tubular wall of each microtubular element is impregnated with a catalyst material and has a coating of a membrane material that is gas-permeable but liquid-impermeable on an inner surface thereof. 30. The storage and dispensing system of claim 1 wherein the carrier is metal hydride solution that generates the target gas upon contact with a catalyst and said gas permeable microtubular wall comprises said catalyst. 31. The storage and dispensing system of claim 30 wherein the gas permeable microtubular wall is also liquid permeable and the system further comprises an inlet and an outlet for said metal hydride solution, the inlet being in fluid communication with the gas storage compartment and the outlet being in fluid communication with the gas collection compartment, whereby the target gas is generated concurrent with the passing of the metal hydride solution through the permeable microtubular wall.