DU AND HYDROGEN | WASTE MANAGEMENT


The hydride compounds that we’re using can chemically store hydrogen at ambient pressure and temperature but remarkably they do this at twice the density of liquid hydrogen


Hydrogen is seen as a valuable storage medium, but most discussions of hydrogen storage refer to large storage options such as underground caverns similar to those used for gas storage (possibly even repurposed from natural gas storage). However, as industry has found in using other forms of generation, storage at different scales is required to operate the energy system at least cost and most reliably for its users.


This model is familiar already: sites that are connected


to the electricity grid nevertheless have emergency arrangements in case supplies are interrupted, such as diesel generators – along with stocks of diesel fuel. On-site hydrogen buffer stores can be seen as an


extension of this arrangement. And unlike diesel generators (but like batteries, which are increasingly attractive to companies where power supply is mission-critical) they can also give the owner an opportunity to shift power use in both directions – managing the state of charge, or in this case absorption, using more power when it is cheap and reducing import from the grid when it is expensive. Using depleted uranium for storing hydrogen is the opportunity being investigated in the Hydrogen in Depleted Uranium Storage (HyDUS) project, led by EdF, which has now won support from the UK government.


The HyDUS project The HyDUS development consortium will explore and develop the chemical storage of hydrogen at ambient conditions through the reversible formation of heavy-metal hydride compounds. Along with EdF UK R&D the consortium also includes uranium enrichment company Urenco, the University of


Bristol and the UK Atomic Energy Authority. In January the consortium was awarded £7.73m (US$9.3m) by the UK government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to develop a hydrogen storage demonstrator utilising depleted uranium. The project is to be located at UKAEA’s Culham Science Centre in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, and is part of BEIS’s Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP), which aims to accelerate the commercialisation of low-carbon technologies and systems. The HyDUS project will demonstrate the chemical storage


of hydrogen at ambient conditions by chemically bonding the hydrogen to depleted uranium to form heavy-metal hydride compounds. In the storage demonstrator, hydrogen would be absorbed on a depleted uranium ‘bed’, which could then release the hydrogen when needed for use. According to Urenco, the HyDUS project will deliver a modular demonstrator system within the next 24 months with an ambition to initially install the technology on nuclear sites, thereby enhancing the profitability of nuclear power plants. Later, however, it is hoped that the technology could be more widespread and used to support transport and heavy industries such as aluminium and steel smelting. Consortium member, Professor Tom Scott, said: “The


hydride compounds that we’re using can chemically store hydrogen at ambient pressure and temperature but remarkably they do this at twice the density of liquid hydrogen. The material can also quickly give up the stored hydrogen simply by heating it, which makes it a wonderfully reversible hydrogen storage technology.” As a project partner, Urenco will contribute depleted


uranium material also known as tails, which is made as a by-product of the uranium enrichment process. Following the successful project demonstration, Urenco will contribute to the commercial implementation of this innovative hydrogen storage technology. David Fletcher, Head of Business Development at Urenco, said in a statement: “We are proud to be a part of this exciting project which brings together proven fusion technology and a potential commercial use for Urenco’s stock of depleted uranium tails to develop a sustainable, low carbon energy storage solution for the emerging hydrogen economy.” In a previous discussion of its decarbonisation research and development EdF said it was developing relationships with stakeholders for the production, distribution and consumption of hydrogen. Its R&D UK Centre now has a Zero Carbon Hub which aims to couple low-carbon generation with existing and new technology to decarbonise demand. The Zero Carbon Hub’s team completed the feasibility study for HyDUS, which looked at the potential advantages in terms of volume density,


purity and long life. Following the grant announcement, the HyDUS team


has also begun seeking engagement with supply chain companies. The process requires a compressor to recover high-purity hydrogen from initial pressures down to ~0.1 barA and compress it for storage at 10-20 barA. UKAEA is seeking to engage with manufacturers and suppliers of hydrogen compressors to understand the operating requirements and abilities of these units and investigating conversion of gaseous hydrogen into electricity via an electrochemical fuel cell. In January UKAEA sought expressions of interest from


manufacturers and suppliers of fuel cells to understand the operating requirements and abilities of these units. ■


www.neimagazine.com | March 2023 | 35


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