(241a) Continuous Hydrogen Generation for PEM Fuel Cell Vehicles Using Catalytic Decomposition of Hydrous Hydrazine: Experiments and Model

Hydrous hydrazine is a promising hydrogen carrier for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell vehicles owing to its high hydrogen content (8.0 wt.% for hydrazine monohydrate), stable liquid state at ambient temperature, moderate reaction temperature (20-80 °C), and benign byproduct (only nitrogen) via complete decomposition. Our recent work demonstrated that solution combustion synthesis is an effective method to prepare catalysts with high activity and selectivity towards hydrogen generation from hydrous hydrazine decomposition. In this work, based on the above catalysts, we developed a practical system to continuously supply hydrogen to a PEM fuel cell. The reaction kinetics were studied to understand how reaction rates depend on the operating variables. Based on the experimental results, the reactor model was established, leading to optimization of reactor performance for maximum hydrogen production per unit reactor volume and system weight.