Turboexpander: Alternative Fueling Concept for Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Fast Fill (H2@Scale Project): Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-18-00740

This CRADA project will provide system analysis in support of the DOE turboexpander alternative fueling proof of concept testing. Proof of concept test data will be used to perform system trade-off study for energy recovery options such as compressor, generator, or other method. The alternative fueling concept will employ a turboexpander to precool dispensed hydrogen for 70 MPa hydrogen fast filling. The turboexpander is designed to replace the Joule-Thomson valve currently used for control of SAE J2601 pressure ramp rates. The advantage of using an expander is that it will extract energy from the flow, providing a significant temperature drop at a near isentropic expansion. The expander would eliminate the need for a chiller and heat exchanger. Project deliverables for the CRADA portion of this project are a system analysis to understand the overall energy balance and energy recovery.