Optimized Modeling and Design of a PCM-Enhanced H 2 Storage

Andrea Luigi Facci, Marco Lauricella, Sauro Succi, Vittorio Villani and Giacomo Falcucci
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Andrea Luigi Facci: DEIM-School of Engineering, University of Tuscia, Largo dell’Universitá, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Marco Lauricella: IAC-CNR, Via dei Taurini 19, 00185 Rome, Italy
Sauro Succi: Italian Institute of Technology, P.le Aldo Moro 1, 00185 Rome, Italy
Vittorio Villani: OPV Solutions S.r.l., Via Zoe Fontana 220, 00131 Rome, Italy
Giacomo Falcucci: John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences-Harvard University-33 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA 02138, USA

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 6, 1-13

Abstract: Thermal and mechanical energy storage is pivotal for the effective exploitation of renewable energy sources, thus fostering the transition to a sustainable economy. Hydrogen-based systems are among the most promising solutions for electrical energy storage. However, several technical and economic barriers (e.g., high costs, low energy and power density, advanced material requirements) still hinder the diffusion of such solutions. Similarly, the realization of latent heat storages through phase change materials is particularly attractive because it provides high energy density in addition to allowing for the storage of the heat of fusion at a (nearly) constant temperature. In this paper, we posit the challenge to couple a metal hydride H 2 canister with a latent heat storage, in order to improve the overall power density and realize a passive control of the system temperature. A highly flexible numerical solver based on a hybrid Lattice Boltzmann Phase-Field (LB-PF) algorithm is developed to assist the design of the hybrid PCM-MH tank by studying the melting and solidification processes of paraffin-like materials. The present approach is used to model the storage of the heat released by the hydride during the H 2 loading process in a phase change material (PCM). The results in terms of Nusselt numbers are used to design an enhanced metal-hydride storage for H 2 -based energy systems, relevant for a reliable and cost-effective “Hydrogen Economy”. The application of the developed numerical model to the case study demonstrates the feasibility of the posited design. Specifically, the phase change material application significantly increases the heat flux at the metal hydride surface, thus improving the overall system power density.

Keywords: energy storage; hydrogen storage; phase-change materials; metal hydrides; Lattice Boltzmann Method (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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