Savannah River National Laboratory

 The U.S. Department of Energy’s Savannah River National Laboratory has been involved in hydrogen research and development for nearly 50 years, and has been an integral part of the Center for Hydrogen Research (now called ARC:Hydrogen) since its inception.

Savannah River National Laboratory Aiken, SRNL, is one of only 12 national laboratories performing applied research. SRNL is addressing the important issues in the development of hydrogen and putting science to work. SRNL recognizes the critical role hydrogen will have in this global economy, in the research and development of commercial applications and, perhaps most important of all, in the education and public awareness of how the hydrogen economy can benefit us all.

SRNL, which is operated for DOE by Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, LLC,  occupies half of the Center, where it performs its unclassified hydrogen work, to allow for collaboration with universities and industry.  Building on five decades of technology support for the Savannah River Site’s (SRS) work with tritium, the radioactive isotope of hydrogen that is a vital component of modern nuclear defense, SRNL’s leading-edge hydrogen research and development not only sustains national security, but also supports the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative to ensure our nation’s long-term energy security and a clean environment.  SRNL's expertise ranges from molecular and process modeling to the development of new materials and techniques for separating, storing and producing hydrogen safely and efficiently. 

Projects underway at SRNL include:

  • The U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen Technology Program to support R&D in the areas of hydrogen storage, hydrogen production and delivery, and hydrogen fuel cells.  This year, that includes supporting development and discovery of new hydrogen storage materials along with engineering and safety studies on hydrogen storage materials and systems.  SRNL also supports R&D on new hydrogen membrane materials, studies on hydrogen pipeline materials and fuel cell contaminant testing.
  • The U.S. DOE Nuclear Hydrogen Initiative Program to support projects related to nuclear hydrogen production.  One major activity ongoing at SRNL is the development and testing of a leading thermochemical process for the production of  hydrogen commonly referred to as the Hybrid Sulfur Process.
  • A project, in partnership with ARC:Hydrogen,  to demonstrate a regenerative fuel cell system for backup power applications using metal hydride hydrogen storage. 
  • Several Cooperative Research and Development Agreements with major automobile manufacturers, energy companies and small businesses in hydrogen storage, materials research and other hydrogen technology areas.