Numerical investigation of heat and mass transfer in a metal hydride bed

This paper presents a mathematical model for hydrogen storage in a metal hydride bed. For this purpose, a two-dimensional mathematical model which considers complex heat and mass transfer during the hydriding process is developed. The coupled differential equations are solved with a numerical method based on integrations of governing equation over finite control volumes. The driving force is considered to be pressure difference because of the temperature distribution in the system. The numerical results showed that the hydriding performance depends on the temperature distribution in the hydride bed. Fluid flow enhances the hydriding rate in the system by driving the hot fluid to the colder regions. The numerical results were found to agree satisfactorily with the experimental data available in the literature. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.