Operating Characteristics of Metal Hydride-Based Solar Energy Storage Systems

Bruce J. Hardy, Claudio Corgnale and Stephanie N. Gamble
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Bruce J. Hardy: Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken, SC 29803, USA
Claudio Corgnale: Greenway Energy LLC, Aiken, SC 29803, USA
Stephanie N. Gamble: Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken, SC 29803, USA

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 21, 1-14

Abstract: Thermochemical energy storage systems, based on a high-temperature metal hydride coupled with a low-temperature metal hydride, represent a valid option to store thermal energy for concentrating solar power plant applications. The operating characteristics are investigated for a tandem hydride bed energy storage system, using a transient lumped parameter model developed to identify the technical performance of the proposed system. The results show that, without operational control, the system undergoes a thermal ratcheting process, causing the metal hydride concentrations to accumulate hydrogen in the high-temperature bed over time, and deplete hydrogen in the low temperature. This unbalanced system is compared with a ’thermally balanced’ system, where the thermal ratcheting is mitigated by thermally balancing the overall system. The analysis indicates that thermally balanced systems stabilize after the first few cycles and remain so for long-term operation, demonstrating their potential for practical thermal energy storage system applications.

Keywords: metal hydrides; solar energy; thermal energy storage; hydrogen storage; transport models (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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