Metal hydride hydrogen storage and supply systems for electric forklift with low-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell power module

•MH H storage integrated with commercial PEMFC module for electric forklift.•Combined MH and CGH2 storage provides 19 Nm3 H2 storage capacity at P < 200 bar.•Refuelling time is as short as 15 min at H2 dispensing pressure above 100 bar.•Novel low-pressure H2 refuelling system integrated with MH compressor developed.•Both systems were put into operation at the site of the industrial customer.

A novel hydrogen storage system for a RX60-30L 3-tonne electric forklift (STILL), equipped with a GenDrive 1600-80A fuel cell power module (Plug Power) has been developed. The system combines a compressed H2 composite cylinder (CGH2) and a liquid-heated-cooled metal hydride (MH) extension tank which is thermally integrated with a power module. The MH extension tank comprises a MH bed formed according to an advanced solution to provide easy activation of the MH material and fast H2 charge/discharge. The system has the same hydrogen storage capacity (∼19 Nm3 H2 or 1.7 kg) as the separate CGH2 tank charged at P = 350 bar, but at a lower H2 charge pressure (≤185 bar). A 15 min cycle refuelling provides the forklift with full-load operation (according to VDI-60 protocol) during >3 h, or 2 to 4 working shifts in a real industrial environment. The work also presents a hydrogen refuelling station (dispensing pressure up to 185 bar) with integrated MH compressor which has been developed for forklift refuelling.

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