Hydrogen Energy Lab



Metal hydrides are compounds formed by the reversible chemical reaction of hydrogen and metallic atom. Whenmetallic atoms are exposed to hydrogen near ambient conditions, the metal atoms absorb enormous amount of hydrogen by releasing heat (Exothermic reaction) spontaneously, called absorption process. When the heat is supplied to the metal hydride molecules, the hydrogen gets separated from the metal hydride and becomes a free hydrogen (Endothermic reaction) called desorption process. Metal hydrides have been widely investigated for hydrogen storage application. A large amount of heat is absorbed or released during the formation/ decomposition of metal hydrides. These heat interactions attract the attention of researchers towards the wide range of application of metal hydrides to thermal machines.The Metal Hydride lab at IIT Guwahati mainly focusses on theNumerical and Experimental studies of the following applications.

Focus :

• Hydrogen storage
• Hydrogen Purification
• Metal hydride Hydrogen Compressor
• Metal hydride heat pump, refrigerator and heat transformer
• Metal hydride thermal energy storage

Major Contributions

Research Major Contributions

Metal hydride hydrogen storage

Designed, fabricated several pre-industrial scale prototypes of hydrogen storage reactors of about 1000 – 22000 L capacity for automobile and industrial applications, and their performances were tested at different operating conditions.

Metal Hydride Cooling System

Designed and developed MH based combined thermal energy storage system of capacity 25 kWh and cooling system of capacity 15 kWh.

Tested a working prototype of compression driven MH based cooling system for automobile applications and achieved the COP in the range of 2.2 to 2.6.

Metal hydride hydrogen purification system

Designed and tested MH based hydrogen purification system of 7000 lit capacity and integrated with Electrical Generator of a Thermal power plant (one of the NTPC). Developed device is capable of purifying hydrogen from 70-80 % (impurities are CO2, CO, CH4, NO2, H2O) to 98 % purity. Cyclic stability of the system under real time operation is under progress.

Heat and mass transfer studies in metal hydride reaction beds

Investigated the hydriding and dehydriding characteristics of several metal hydride alloys at different operating conditions employing a coupled heat and heat transfer model in cylindrical coordinates. Evaluated the thermos-physical properties and reaction kinetics data of some metal hydride alloys in close coordination with IKE, University of Stuttgart, Germany.

Metal hydride Thermal Energy storage system and heat transformer

Designed and tested working prototypes of MH based heat transformers, Single-stage heat transformer: Heat input of 120°C has been upgraded up to 170°C.

Double – stage heat transformer: Heat input of 120°C has been upgraded up to 210°C.

Development metal hydride based lab-scale thermal energy storage system

Investigated the performances of a metal hydride based thermal storage device using thermodynamic and heat and mass transfer models. Developed a prototype of metal hydride based thermal energy storage device and tested its performance at different operating conditions.

Ongoing projects

  1. Metal hydride materials and systems for the increase of efficiency in renewable and hydrogen energy (2018-2022), sponsored by BRICS Multilateral Research and Development Projects.
  2. Development of High Temperature Thermal Energy Storage System for Solar Thermal Power Plant (2017-2019), sponsored by DST, Government of India (DST: DST/TM/SERI/D12).
  3. Design, development and demonstration of indigenous hydrogen storage and fuel cell system for mobile and stationary applications of 5 kW capacity (2017-2020), sponsored by IMPRINT - MHRD.
  4. Reversible Alkali Metal Based Hydrides for High Temperature Thermal Energy Storage (2017-2019), sponsored by DST, Government of India (DST/TMD/MES/2k16/50).

Completed projects

  1. Design and development of metal hydride based hydrogen purification system (2015-2017), sponsored by NTPC.
  2. Numerical and Experimental Analysisfor the Development of a Metal Hydride Based Hydrogen Energy Storage (2008-2012), sponsored by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, India.
  3. Development of a Metal Hydride Based Thermal Energy Storage Systems (2007-2011), sponsored by DST, Government of India.

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