Thermal management of metal hydride hydrogen tank using lattice structures

The current research explores advancements in hydrogen storage technologies using metal hydride (MH) systems, focusing on the incorporation of lattice structures within MH tanks. The study demonstrates that these lattice structures significantly enhance thermal management, effectively reducing the charging time of the hydrogen storage tank by over 55%. Through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, the results reveal that the inclusion of lattice structures not only accelerates the absorption phase but also promotes a more uniform temperature distribution within the tank, thereby minimizing the thermal gradient. However, this improvement comes at the cost of a slight reduction in absorbed hydrogen mass, approximately 4.96%, due to the decreased available volume for the MH. The findings suggest that while the lattice structure optimizes heat exchange and enhances the kinetics of hydrogen absorption, further research is needed to balance charging efficiency with storage capacity, particularly in larger tanks suitable for automotive applications.