Study on the impact of hydrogen storage temperature on iron-based thermochemical hydrogen storage technology

Abstract

Thermochemical hydrogen storage technology based on iron-based materials has received significant attention owing to its low cost, safety features, and high volumetric hydrogen storage density. However, no consensus has been established on the optimal temperature range for hydrogen storage. This study investigated the impact of hydrogen storage temperature on hydrogen consumption capacity, hydrogen release capacity, and hydrogen storage energy consumption. The hydrogen storage temperature was optimized with the objectives of low energy consumption and high hydrogen storage density. The experiments were conducted using thermogravimetric analyzer and gram-scale packed-bed reactor setups, accompanied by thermodynamic and kinetic calculations. The research indicated that at 550 °C, the optimal hydrogen storage temperature, the lowest relative energy demand was 32.30 %, with the hydrogen consumption capacity reaching the theoretical maximum value of 4.8 %, and the hydrogen release capacity reaching 4.04 %. Furthermore, achieving the theoretical maximum value of hydrogen consumption capacity became exceedingly difficult when the hydrogen storage temperature exceeded 570 °C. Microstructural characterization and kinetic calculations revealed that this phenomenon was attributed to the formation of a dense iron layer on the particle surface, which impeded the solid-state diffusion of oxygen atoms. The formation of the intermediate phase wüstite was identified as the cause of the formation of the dense iron layer. Overall, this study provided theoretical support for iron-based thermochemical hydrogen storage processes and offered a perspective into the reaction behavior of the reduction of magnetite with hydrogen.