Eden Energy boasts small, efficient hydrogen storage system

Eden Energy Ltd. recently noted that it has received a U.S. patent for its cryogenic storage vessels for liquid hydrogen. The company expects the new technology to advance the practicality of hydrogen cars by optimizing energy storage, reducing or eliminating the need for bulky lithium ion batteries.

The main use for this technology, called Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES), will be in the automotive industry. Whether used for traditional hybrids, electric cars, or hydrogen combustion engines, SMES will capture and use energy from the vehicle braking system to reduce or eliminate the use of large, expensive batteries, the company states.

By combining fuel storage and the battery into a single unit, the range and efficiency of alternative fuel vehicles will be increased, and fuel can be stored in a much smaller space.

“This technology addresses many of the barriers to popular use of alternative fuels, such as hydrogen,” says Greg Egan, chief technology officer at the Hythane Company and inventor of the SMES system. “By increasing the range and efficiency of hybrid, electric, and hydrogen powered vehicles, SMES has immediate uses today. It also brings us a big step closer to the practical use of pure hydrogen.”

The innovation of SMES is that the vehicle fuel tank becomes a storage device to capture electrical energy from a regenerative braking system or other engine generation system, reducing or eliminating the need for on-board batteries. Integrating the SMES system with a liquid cryogenic fuel tank enables superconductivity, providing frictionless energy storage.

For more information, visit www.edenenergy.com.au.