Manufacturing

The Manufacturing subprogram goal is to research, develop, and demonstrate technologies and processes that reduce the manufacturing cost of hydrogen production, delivery, storage, and fuel cells. Work in this area will work to advance high-volume fabrication processes to reduce cost while ensuring high quality products for hydrogen and fuel cell systems. The program has three primary initial objectives: reducing the cost of automotive fuel cell stacks, reducing the cost of making high-pressure carbon composite storage tanks, and reducing the cost of making components and subsystems for distributed natural gas reforming systems.

ORNL is currently involved in the effort to develop high-pressure carbon composite storage tanks. High strength carbon fiber enables the construction of durable, lightweight, compressed hydrogen storage vessels. This project leverages the work of ORNL's FreedomCar Program to develop a low-cost, high strength carbon fiber. The strength target of the FreedomCar carbon fiber program is much lower, however, than the Hydrogen, Fuel Cell & Infrastructure Technologies Program strength target for compressed hydrogen storage vessels. Higher strength carbon fiber is currently much too expensive, thus the goal of this effort is to develop an approach that leads to a low-cost, high strength carbon fiber.

For more information about the U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen Manufacturing subprogram, see the most recent Multi-Year Program Plan.

Project

• High Strength Carbon Fibers for Hydrogen Storage – Felix Paulauskas
  

Contact

Dave Stinton, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 865-574-4556, stintondp@ornl.gov

High Strength Carbon Fibers for Hydrogen Storage - Felix Paulauskas

The major contributors to the cost of high strength fiber are precursor cost and yield, tow size, line speed, energy, and qualification/certification. This project addresses all of these cost elements except for qualification/certification requirements. The overall objective of this research is to develop advanced precursors and conversion techniques that will significantly reduce the production cost of high strength carbon fibers suitable for use in compressed hydrogen storage vessels. The resulting technology will be commercialized via industry partnerships.

Project Documents:

• Fact Sheet: High Strength Carbon Fiber for Hydrogen Storage
  

Project Contact:

Felix Paulauskas, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 865-576-3785, paulauskasfl@ornl.gov

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