We currently cannot offer a one-fits-all solution for your hydrogen supply. You might have access to hydrogen through your school or institution or might have found another way to get your hands on some hydrogen or you reach out to us for advice on a custom-made solution. However, we are currently testing a hydrogen supply solution using the commercially available “Hydrosticks” from Horizon FuelCells, which in our opion might represent a viable and safe way to power the open fuel cell.
These metal hydride canisters have a storage volume of 10 standard liters of hydrogen, thus no specific safety regulations have to be implemented. Even if all this hydrogen would escape into a standard-sized class-room, the resulting hydrogen concentration is far below the explosive limit. A huge advantage of the metal hydride hydrogen storage is that the hydrogen is adsorbed by the metal and not stored under pressure. Therefore all the fuss and regulations related with high pressure tanks can be avoided. Overall this setup is safe enough to allow students and pupils to work on their own PEMFC related experiments on their own.
Further information about this hydrogen supply can be directly obtained form the manufacturer’s homepage:
• for the hydrogen canister names “Hydrostick Pro”, go to: https://www.horizoneducational.com/hydrostik-pro/p1222
• to connect the Hydrostick to the PEMFC a valve which also regulates the pressure is needed: https://www.horizoneducational.com/one-step-pressure-regulator/p1211
• in order to refill the Hydrostick a specially designed electrolyser named “Hydrofill” can be used: https://www.horizoneducational.com/hydofil-pro/p1221 – it should also be possible to refill the Hydrostick using other hydrogen sources, e.g. the high pressure tanks if the required safety regulations and procedures described in the respective user manuals are adhered.