The Impact of Active and Passive Thermal Management on the Energy Storage Efficiency of Metal Hydride Pairs Based Heat Storage

Serge Nyallang Nyamsi and Ivan Tolj
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Serge Nyallang Nyamsi: South African Institute for Advanced Materials Chemistry, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville 7535, South Africa
Ivan Tolj: Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Split, R Boskovica 32, 21000 Split, Croatia

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 11, 1-24

Abstract: Two-tank metal hydride pairs have gained tremendous interest in thermal energy storage systems for concentrating solar power plants or industrial waste heat recovery. Generally, the system’s performance depends on selecting and matching the metal hydride pairs and the thermal management adopted. In this study, the 2D mathematical modeling used to investigate the heat storage system’s performance under different thermal management techniques, including active and passive heat transfer techniques, is analyzed and discussed in detail. The change in the energy storage density, the specific power output, and the energy storage efficiency is studied under different heat transfer measures applied to the two tanks. The results showed that there is a trade-off between the energy storage density and the energy storage efficiency. The adoption of active heat transfer enhancement (convective heat transfer enhancement) leads to a high energy storage density of 670 MJ m −3 (close to the maximum theoretical value of 755.3 MJ m −3 ). In contrast, the energy storage efficiency decreases dramatically due to the increase in the pumping power. On the other hand, passive heat transfer techniques using the bed’s thermal conductivity enhancers provide a balance between the energy storage density (578 MJ m −3 ) and the energy efficiency (74%). The utilization of phase change material as an internal heat recovery medium leads to a further reduction in the heat storage performance indicators (142 MJ m −3 and 49%). Nevertheless, such a system combining thermochemical and latent heat storage, if properly optimized, can be promising for thermal energy storage applications.

Keywords: heat storage; metal hydride; active and passive heat management; energy storage efficiency; energy storage density (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 (3)

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