Experimental analysis of hydrogen storage performance of a LaNi5-H2 reactor with phase change materials

Energy storage, especially thermal energy storage, has an important place in terms of efficient use of energy. Systems in which phase change materials (PCMs) are used are among the thermal energy storage (TES) options, thanks to their advantages such as energy storage at almost constant temperature. The use of PCM as a TES material in the metal hydride (MH) reactor is an influential method to store the heat released by the exothermic reaction occurring in the hydrogen charging process and to recover this heat with the endothermic reaction occurring in the hydrogen discharge process. In the present study, hydrogen charge and discharge processes in a LaNi5-H2 reactor were experimentally investigated and compared with and without PCM. Therefore, a hybrid system was designed by integrating PCM around the cylindrical MH reactor filled with LaNi5 alloy. The hydration process was carried out at both constant pressure and variable pressure. The temperature changes on the reactor surface and inside the PCM were measured over time. In experiments to determine the change in the amount of hydrogen stored in MH reactors over time, it was determined that the hydrogen storage pressure and reactor design significantly affect the hydrogen charge-discharge rate. Considering the use of MH reactors in transportation vehicles such as automobiles and submarines, designing a hybrid MH-PCM storage system is promising for the development of hydrogen storage technologies and transportation technologies.(c) 2022 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Energy storage, especially thermal energy storage using phase change materials (PCMs), is crucial for efficient energy utilization. This study investigates the use of PCM in a metal hydride (MH) reactor to store and recover heat during hydrogen charge and discharge processes. Experiments were conducted on a LaNi5-H2 reactor with and without PCM, and the effects of hydrogen storage pressure and reactor design on the charge-discharge rate were determined. The results show that designing a hybrid MH-PCM storage system holds promise for the advancement of hydrogen storage and transportation technologies, particularly in vehicles like automobiles and submarines.