High temperature metal hydrides for energy systems Part A: Numerical model validation and calibration

Abstract

Metal hydrides have become more and more significant both as hydrogen storage devices and as basic elements in energy conversion systems. Magnesium hydride (MgH2) shows very interesting characteristics – i.e. high enthalpy of reaction and hydrogen gravimetric density – making it capable of being employed in the field of energy production. So there is interest in investigating the behaviour of this kind of hydride, placed in an energy system. In order to examine MgH2 in depth, its main kinetic parameters must be found and this can be accomplished by means of the calibration of a model previously realised by author Marco Gambini in his 1989–1994 works.In the light of this, an assessment of the activation energies (Ea = 72,200 kJ/kmol, Ed = 89,000 kJ/kmol) and kinetic constants (k0a = 15,000 s−1, k0d = 198,500 s−1) in both absorption and desorption phase of magnesium hydride has been provided. Thanks to these values, the behaviour of MgH2 can be modelled, making the performance of a magnesium hydride-based energy system estimable.