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Analysis and optimization of hydrogen storage performance of thermal self-equilibrium metal hydride reactors equipped with U-tubes

Author

Listed:
  • Dai, Hui
  • Huang, Qingke
  • Zhou, Shaobin
  • Yan, Suying
  • Zhang, Wei
  • Gao, Ming

Abstract

The integration of phase change material (PCM) in metal hydride (MH) hydrogen storage reactors enables thermal self-equilibrium, eliminating the need for an external heat source. However, traditional sleeved MH reactors with PCM (TSMHR-PCM) suffer from low hydrogen storage efficiency due to their limited heat transfer area. To address this issue, this study proposed a sandwich MH-PCM reactor equipped with U-tubes (SWMHR-PCM-U). A three-dimensional heat and mass transfer model was established and hydrogen storage performances of TSMHR-PCM and SWMHR-PCM-U were comparatively analyzed. Additionally, by response surface methodology (RSM), the interactions among the factors of U-tube distribution, volume ratios of inner to outer layers of MH Vm′ , and volume ratios of inner to outer layers of PCM Vp′ were investigated. Results showed that applying the U-tube and sandwich structure significantly increases the hydrogen storage rate and enhances the temperature distribution's homogeneity. The time to reach 90 % hydrogen saturation t0.9 for SWMHR-PCM-U is 687 s, representing an 89.95 % reduction compared to 6833 s for TSMHR-PCM. The RSM model identifies the optimal design parameter as number of U-tubes in the inner sandwich N = 6, Vm′ = 0.3, and Vp′ = 0.55, reducing t0.9 by 29.25 % compared to the original configuration. The optimized MH-PCM reactor reduces energy consumption and enhances thermal stability, providing a compact, responsive solution for integration with intermittent renewable energy systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Dai, Hui & Huang, Qingke & Zhou, Shaobin & Yan, Suying & Zhang, Wei & Gao, Ming, 2025. "Analysis and optimization of hydrogen storage performance of thermal self-equilibrium metal hydride reactors equipped with U-tubes," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 254(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:254:y:2025:i:c:s0960148125013382
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2025.123676
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    References listed on IDEAS

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