Numerical simulation of coupled heat and mass transfer in metal hydride-based hydrogen storage reactor

In this paper, a numerical investigation of two-dimensional heat and mass transfer during absorption of hydrogen in a cylindrical metal hydride bed containing MmNi6.4Al0.4 is presented. By considering the variation in cooling fluid temperature along the axial direction (variable wall temperature), the changes in hydrogen concentration, hydride equilibrium pressure, and average hydride bed temperature at different axial locations are presented. The average bed temperature profiles and hydrogen storage capacities at different supply pressures showed good agreement with the experimental data reported in the literature. As the absorption progresses, the change in cooling fluid temperature along the axial direction is found to decrease and becomes unchanged at the end of the absorption process. The effect of variable wall temperature on hydrogen absorption rate for different supply pressures and hydride bed thicknesses are presented. The effect of variable wall temperature on absorption time is found to be significant for the hydride beds of thickness of above 7.5 mm. For a supply pressure of 20 bar, the maximum difference in absorption time between variable wall temperature and constant wall temperature boundary conditions is about 300 s for 17.5 mm bed thickness.