Design of a AB2-metal hydride cylindrical tank for renewable energy storage

Metal hydrides have the ability to reversibly absorb and desorb relatively large amounts of hydrogen at a certain temperature and pressure. The absorption of hydrogen in metal hydrides is an exothermic reaction, therefore, the generated heat has to be removed effectively in order to achieve the desired charging rate.A 3D numerical model has been developed for predicting the hydrogen absorption process performance of cylindrical metal hydride tank (MHT) filled with Ti0.98Zr0.02V0.43Fe0.09Cr0.05Mn1.5hydrogen storage material. Heat exchange arrangement considered between the MHT and the heat transfer fluid for cooling is helical coil internal heat exchanger in the powdered metal hydride bed. The performance of the MHT is analyzed based on the numerical simulation. The effect of heat transfer coefficient on characteristics of the helical coil reactor is also analyzed. The numerically predicted results are validated with the experimental data available in the literature. The predicted MHT hydrogen storage capacity is about 1.8 wt% at the operating conditions of 20 bar supply pressure and heat transfer fluid temperature of 293 K.