Hydrogen-based uninterruptible power supply

An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) based on hydrogen technologies has been designed, manufactured and tested. The system consists of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell running on hydrogen and oxygen, a gas storage section and a water electrolyser for hydrogen and oxygen production. The UPS is of fail-safe design, completely silent and very reliable, thanks to the complete absence of moving parts. The prototype has an output of 5 kW for a maximum period of 5 h. A 3 kW advanced alkaline electrolyser produces 0.6Nm3/h hydrogen and 0.3Nm3/h oxygen at 1.5 MPa, which are stored in metal hydride tanks of 21Nm3H2 capacity and a cylinder stack, respectively. Upon grid power interruption, the fuel cell takes up the load, with the help of a battery during the first minutes of operation. The results of the operation of this prototype are presented and discussed.