Numerical simulation of the effect of aluminum foam on sorption induced wall strain in vertical, metal hydride based hydrogen storage container

Highlights: • Hydrogenation strains in metal hydride based storage device is studied numerically. • Introduction of aluminum foam improves hydrogenation and reduces wall strains. • Spatial control of foam density reduces peak strains at the container bottom. Low thermal conductivity of metal hydride alloys significantly affects the sorption performance of hydrogen storage devices. Upon hydrogenation they also exert significant stresses on the containers due to volume changes and thermal cycling. Aluminum foam has been widely accepted as a means to enhance heat transfer and thereby improve sorption performance of metal hydride storage devices. In addition to this, such foams can also serve to homogenize the container strains. In this study, numerical simulation of the wall strain development upon hydrogenation of a vertically aligned metal hydride storage device is performed. The device contains LaNi₅ as the storage alloy embedded with aluminum foam. Role of aluminum foam on hydrogenation and consequent development of wall strains is studied. Effect of controlled spatial variation of foam density as a means for strain reduction is also investigated.