Energy performance evaluation and life cycle assessment on a novel hydrogen storage system with cryo-adsorption approach using MOF

As a key pathway to green future, the promotion of hydrogen faces challenges in storage and transportation processes. Material-based cryo-adsorption is a promising strategy for hydrogen storage, while its energy consumption remains excessive for widespread adoption. For the advancement of cryo-adsorption technology, a novel cooling-integrated configuration is developed based on Aspen HYSYS, with well-designed metal-organic framework (MOF) materials selected as adsorbents. The novel system using MOF-210 is found to achieve the lowest specific energy consumption of 3.519 kW∙h/kg. Across different working conditions, reductions in energy consumption from 48% to 65% are achieved by the novel system. Consequently, an average annual specific energy consumption of 3.282 kW∙h/kg is achieved by the novel system using MOF-210 globally, which is 57.9% lower than that of the reference. An exergy efficiency of up to 52.4% is achieved. The energy performance advantages result from efficient refrigeration and satisfactory temperature matching during the cooling process. A lower specific storage cost is also realized compared with the reference system, with a reduction of 16.1% and a payback period of 0.82 years. Through a life cycle assessment, a specific storage emission reduction of 56.4% is found. The economic and environmental advantages become more distinct for larger-scale systems. The novel system also surpasses other hydrogen storage strategies in terms of energy performance, and cold energy recovery can enhance this superiority. The results indicate an energy-efficient cryo-adsorption system with reduced cost and environmental impact, contributing to the promotion of hydrogen energy and the achievement of carbon neutrality.