Technology
Polymer/metal pipeline
Hydrogen pipelines will be needed to transport hydrogen from where it is produced (e.g. large wind farms in the Great Plains region or large solar facilities in the Mojave Desert) to storage facilities close to where the hydrogen will be purchased at fueling stations.
Polymer hydrogen pipelines are far superior to carbon steel hydrogen pipelines in terms of both cost and performance. The problem is that hydrogen leaks right through standard polymer pipelines. However, the polymer/metal hydrogen pipeline technology developed by Hydrogen Discoveries solves the leakage problem by utilizing a thin layer of aluminum which stops nearly all of the hydrogen.
This groundbreaking technology will enable the grand vision of a global hydrogen economy where the vehicles around the world are powered with hydrogen that is produced from clean sources of energy such as wind and solar power.
(Photos courtesy of Mike Naney. Copyright 2008.)
This paper by Dr. James G. Blencoe, Dr. Simon L. Marshall, and Dr. Michael T. Naney on the polymer/metal pipeline technology accompanies a presentation given by Dr. Blencoe at the National Hydrogen Association annual conference in March 2007:
NHA polymer/metal pipeline technology paper