Safe Storage of Compressed Hydrogen at Ambient and Cryogenic Temperatures in Flexible Glass Capillaries

We have demonstrated that the strength of produced flexible quartz capillaries can be high enough to withstand the internal hydrogen pressure up to 233 MPa at normal and cryogenic temperature. According to the experimental results, the cryo-compressed storage of hydrogen in the capillaries at moderate pressure can enable one to reach DOE 2015 aims for the gravimetric and volumetric capacities of vessels for the safe mobile hydrogen storage. Furthermore, flexible capillaries in a bundle can probably serve as a high-pressure pipes for the transportation of gases over long distances. The developed technology of hydrogen storage can be applied to methane and hythane (H₂ - CH₄ mixture) which bridge the gap between conventional fossil fuels and the clean future of a hydrogen economy. It can be also applied to other gases, i.e. air, oxygen and helium-oxygen mixtures widely used in autonomic breathing devices.