Estimation of system-level hydrogen storage for metal-organic frameworks with high volumetric storage density

Metal organic framework (MOF) materials have emerged as the adsorbent materials with the highest H2 storage densities on both a volumetric and gravimetric basis. While measurements of hydrogen storage at the material level (primarily at 77 K) have been published for hundreds of MOFs, estimates of the system-level hydrogen storage capacity are not readily available. In this study, hydrogen storage capacities are estimated at the system-level for MOFs with the highest demonstrated volumetric and gravimetric H2 storage densities. System estimates are based on a single tank cryo-adsorbent system that utilizes a type-1 tank, multi-layer vacuum insulation, liquid N2 cooling channels, in-tank heat exchanger, and a packed MOF powder inside the tank. It is found that with this powder-based system configuration, MOFs with ultra-high gravimetric surface areas and hydrogen adsorption amounts do not necessarily provide correspondingly high volumetric or gravimetric storage capacities at the system-level. Meanwhile, attributes such as powder packing efficiency and system cool-down temperature are shown to have a large impact on the system capacity. These results should shed light on the material properties that must to be optimized, as well as highlight the important design challenges for cryo-adsorbent hydrogen storage systems.