Thermal properties characterization of sodium alanates

High energy density hydrogen storage is a critical technology requirement in a hydrogen-based energy infrastructure. Although there are no current storage methods that meet desired energy density goals for vehicular hydrogen storage, complex metal hydride based systems are among the most promising. These materials form compounds with hydrogen under appropriate conditions and release hydrogen by thermal decomposition. The complex hydride, sodium alanate, is particularly useful due to its favorable reversibility. Thermal properties characterization of sodium alanate has been performed at Sandia National Laboratories to gain a detailed understanding of how complex hydrides will behave in a storage system. Thermal properties were investigated using the thermal probe method (ASTM D5334). Custom test hardware was designed and built to accommodate the complex decomposition and recombination of sodium alanate. Thermal conductivity and thermal wall resistance were determined by utilizing analytical and numerical data analysis methods. The thermal conductivity of sodium alanate was found to vary by more than 90% with changes in phase composition and hydrogen gas pressures between 1 and 100 atm. The quality of thermal contact between the alanate and the vessel wall was characterized numerically for various pressures and phase compositions. The contact resistance is high for all states, indicating poor contact between the material and the vessel wall.