Low-pressure Metal Hydride Hydrogen Storage is ideally suited for vehicle and mobile generator on board hydrogen storage. It meets the requirements of hydrogen infrastructure of safety, ease of distribution and user convenience.It is currently the most suitable hydrogen storage technology for small vehicles.

APFCT has completed development and testing of the MH hydrogen storage canister system and has demonstrated the validity of a hydrogen infrastructure model based on distribution and exchange of the canisters.Convenient automated hydrogen refilling equipment was also developed.Applications developed by APFCT such as scooters,mobile power generator and wheelchair,all incorporate this storage technology,validating its safety and convenience.

As briefly alluded to above, hydrogen supply to the fuel cell is stored in canisters. There are two reasons that gaseous hydrogen is not used. First, as a fuel, hydrogen gas is very combustible and the related law imposes strict regulations on its transportation. Secondly, even under high pressure, hydrogen gas is no dense enough for compact storage. Metal hydride does not suffer from these deficiencies. Metal hydride is safe and can be safely transported. The US Department of Energy has pronounced metal hydride storage of hydrogen as the safest means of all. Equally important, stored hydrogen density in metal hydride form is 10 times higher than compressed gaseous hydrogen. A hydrogen depleted metal hydride canister can be refilled with hydrogen easily with no limits on the times it can be recharged. Metal hydride hydrogen storage is a well-known and proven technology. The material is readily available commercially.

The MH hydrogen storage canister employs the quick-disconnect developed by APFCT for easy and safe removal and replacement of the canisters.Currently,APFCT is cooperating with partners to build the world's first hydrogen infrastructure based on MH hydrogen storage canisters.

Specifications of APFCT Metal Hydride Hydrogen Storage Canisters:
Construction	Aluminum alloy extruded body
Dimension	Diameter 76.2 ± 0.2 mm, Length 365 ± 2 mm
Safety mechanism	Over-pressure relief valve protection
Hydrogen storage material	Metal hydride, AB5 alloy
Quick connector	S.S material, developed by APFCT
Hydrogen purity applled	>99.99%; 02, CO, S<1 ppm
Charge condition	150~300 psig(1~2MPa), 30 min, 10-20°C
Discharge	0-16 slpm, 10-50°C, 1 atm, 30°C
Effective hydrogen content	520~560 ± 20 SL@8.2 slpm, 30°C
Total weight	4.5 ± 0.2 kg

Hydrogen Infrastructure

For fuel cell powered products with metal hydride hydrogen storage, hydrogen distribution infrastructure is not a problem because it uses existing gasoline distribution infrastructure. For fuel cell scooters or mobile power generators, hydrogen can be made even more convenient and readily available than gasoline because all existing scooter shops and retailers indeed even convenient stores can become “refueling” ,i.e. hydrogen canister exdanye,stations. When the fuel is running out, the scooter rider would stop at any gasoline station, the scooter shops, or at any convenient stores and exchange the empty canisters for fully charged ones for a fee. The exchange process would take no more than 3 minutes and the rider is on his way again. To the rider, the process is easier, safer and quicker than filling-up with gasoline.