EUR/kWhkWh/kg

kWh/L

0

1

2

3

20

40

Alkalinebattery High power

battery Diesel*Methanol*

MgH2**including all conversion losses

60

F R A U N H O F E R I N S T I T U T E F O R m A N U F A c T U R I N g T E c H N O l O g y

A N d A d vA N c E d m AT E R I A l S I F A m , b R A N c H l A b d R E S d E N

hydrolysis oF Mgh2 For ultra high energy applications

1 Hydrolysis demonstrator

2 Hydrolysis reaction of a MgH2 pellet

3 Electrical energy densities and costs of

high energy storage materials

Fraunhofer Institute for

manufacturing Technology

and Advanced materials IFAm

branch lab dresden

Winterbergstrasse 28

01277 Dresden | Germany

Contact

Dr. rer. nat. Marcus Tegel

Phone +49 351 2537 413

Email: Marcus.Tegel

@ifam-dd.fraunhofer.de

Dr. rer. nat. Lars Röntzsch

Phone +49 351 2537 411

Email: Lars.Roentzsch

@ifam-dd.fraunhofer.de

www.ifam.fraunhofer.de/h2

3

Key Facts

The hydrolysis reaction of MgH2 with wa-

ter is a very promising way to generate

hydrogen for ultra high energy fuel cell

applications. Through MgH2 hydrolysis,

hydrogen storage capacities of up to

15.3 wt.-% are possible, if water is

available on-site. In combination with fuel

cells, material specific electrical energy

densities as high as 2.3 kWh/kg and

2.9 kWh/liter can be achieved - inclu-

ding all conversion losses. This makes the

gravimetric energy density twelve times

higher than in conventional single-use

alkaline batteries.

Thus, compact, safe and inexpensive

energy sources with a nearly unlimited

shelf life can be built. The invention of

highly efficient and dynamic MgH2-based

hydrolysis fuels by Fraunhofer IFAM Dres-

den, their production and hydrolysis sys-

tems are patent pending, the invention

was awarded with the 2013 f-cell

award (1st place, category “Science”).

Applications

• Backup- and emergency power

• Electric drives / range extenders

• Portable electronic devices and chargers

• Emergency rescue / response systems

• Marine power generators

• Camping and outdoor equipment

• Sensors and probes

• Beacons, light signals

Advantages of mgH2

Hydrolysis Reactions

MgH2 as hydrogen storage material for hyd-

rolysis reactions has a variety of advantages

over other high energy materials:

• Ultra high energy densities

• Long shelf life (no self-discharge)

• Non-toxicity of all materials

• Ease of material handling and high safety

• No special fuel cells, no reformers

• Noiseless and zero emission

• Operation temperature: < 0 °C to 80 °C

• Power range: 1 W to ~ 5000 W

21

Hydrolyse_Flyer_2015.indd 1 29.03.15 21:20

Left: Time-dependent hydrogen generation for conventional and IFAM-developed solid MgH2 fuels.

Middle: Hydrogen development of powder and compacted material (with an increased volumetric density). Right: Test of water quality influence.

1

2

4 Lab-scale test rig for

hydrolysis fuels

5 Outline of a hydrolysis system

(Sketch)

detailed Information

When MgH2 is hydrolyzed, half of the

generated hydrogen comes from the

water, which is one reason for its ultra-high

energy capacity. However, normally, the

reaction is very slow due to passivation.

At Fraunhofer IFAM, special MgH2-based

fuels (solids and pastes) with optimal reac-

tion characteristics have been developed.

Our MgH2-based solids are favorable, if

highest energy densities are needed, while

our special patent-pending MgH2-based

pastes are advantageous, if maximum

ease of use, high reaction control as well

as highest reaction speeds and power

densities are required.

Fraunhofer R&d Services

• Optimization of hydrolysis fuels with

regard to specific requirements, e.g.

- Usable temperature range

- Maximum shelf life

- Reactivity (i.e. power density)

• Construction and evaluation of

hydrolysis cartridges and hydrogen

generators

• System integration with fuel cells

(construction of power generators)

• System development and testing

• Safety and reliability tests

• Development of materials processing

technologies

• Up-scaling

• Market analyses

Metal Hydride Pellets

Water

Hydrolysis Reactor

Recuperation of Water

Exhaust (H2O)

Air (O2)

e−

H+

H2

Fuel Cell4 5

0 15 30 45 60

Hydrolysis time (min) Hydrolysis time (min) Hydrolysis time (min)

Reac

tion

prog

ress

(%)

75

MgH2 + IFAM additive III

MgH2 + IFAM additive II

MgH2 + IFAM additive I

conventional MgH2

0

20

40

60

80

100

0

20

40

60

80

100

Acid

0 10 20 30 40 50 600 10 20 30 40 50 60

De-ionized waterTap water (Dresden)Sea water (Baltic sea)

PowderPellets (150 MPa)Pellets (750 MPa)Re

actio

n pr

ogre

ss (%

)

Acid

OHH

H H H O H

2 H2OMgH2 2 H2 Mg(OH)2

Hydrolyse_Flyer_2015.indd 2 29.03.15 21:20