Some years ago, a company from the railway industry wanted to offer its customer a better beverage service through a mobile minibar. The application was taking place into the train, and travelers were not requested to go to the lounge car but could enjoy this service while staying on their seat. But,…
The minibar was equipped with a battery that did not give enough autonomy. The order of certain beverage was suspended due to the too high energy consumption.
To face this challenge, MAHYTEC has developped and adapted a solid hydrogen system that meets the energy requirements. Hydrogen storage have the advantage of supplying continuous energy, which leave the battery enough energy to absorb the peak load use. When one tank is empty, the are easy and quick to change and can be replace with a new fulled one.
More than being effective, a tank also has to fulfill certain standards to be used. Therefore, its reliability and its safety are evaluated with severe tests : drops, fire, etc. MAHYTEC hydrogen tank was the first metal hydride tank that was certified according to ISO 16111 for mobile and transportable applications.
Other countries might experience this application, which thanks to its powerful energy pack and autonomy , allow railway beverage service companies to expand their range and offer a large variety of drinks, hot and cold, which was not possible without the H2 version.
The access to energy is a strong challenge in the energy sector. As part of their missions, the infrantry men are asked to move with a large equipment able to supply enough energy to power their different devices (telecommunication and surveillance devices, etc.)
Today, infantry men are forced to carry several kilograms of batteries, increasing drastically the carried weight of the soldiers.
In partnership with Safran, MAHYTEC is a member of a project called MORPHY. In this regard, MAHYTEC has developped a small portable hydrogen tank, that allow to bring at low pressure the equivalent of 10 LR20 batteries, sufficiant to poxer devices for several hours, or even days. Each tank is coupled with a small fuel cell. This system makes it possible to reduce the weight of the energy system of 1 kilos (about 1/4 of the carried weight)
For these applications, it is not possible for the soliders to work with high pressure storage. The technology used to store hydrogen stands on metal hydrides.
They work at low pressure to avoid to handle an interface and logistics specific at the high-pressure. The tank is also able to absorb the heat of the human body. An extra advantage for infantry men that are working in hot countries.
This flexiable and light storage was initally developped for the army industry, but it could also be useful for all people that are requested to use and transport small electrical devices. Cavers and sailors could find into this small rechargeable tank the solution to guarantee an energy available on hand at all times.
