Neutron imaging studies of metal-hydride storage beds

Neutron radiography and tomography were used to study the transient and steady-state distributions, respectively, of hydrogen within a prototypical, LaNi4.78Sn0.22-based hydrogen-storage bed during and after various absorption and desorption steps. It was shown that using deuterium instead of hydrogen enabled the imaging of thicker beds. These measurements serve to demonstrate the unique utility of neutron imaging as an important diagnostic tool for in situ, real-time characterization of hydrogen-concentration profiles in practical hydrogen-storage systems.