Upscaling of LaNi5-based metal hydride reactor for solid-state hydrogen storage

An Ansys Fluent–based model was constructed for simulating hydrogen storage and discharge from a large-scale metal hydride (MH) heat exchanger. The model's validity was initially verified in light of specific experimental data. Mass and heat transport processes inside the fixed bed during the absorption and desorption cycles were simulated for various hydrogen pressures and MH thermal conductivity. The findings were reported as average and special changes in the metal's bed temperature and hydrogen concentration. The hydrogenation (dehydrogenation) rate of the MH was improved when the applied charging (discharging) pressure was increased. However, even though it affected the thermal behavior of the reactor, the thermal conductivity of the MH did not affect the hydrogenation rate of the bed.