Feasibility study of a metal hydride-based solar thermal collector system

The present study aims to assess the technical feasibility of a novel Metal Hydride-based Solar Thermal Collector (MH-STC) system. This system includes a flat-plate solar collector integrated with a metal hydride bed, a hydrogen compressor, a photovoltaic panel, a hydrogen tank, and a water storage tank. This system combines the principles of a conventional solar thermal collector with the energy storage capabilities of metal hydrides, enabling the storage of surplus thermal energy. The LaNi 5 alloy was used as heat storage material. A 3D-mathematical model is established and a numerical code written in Fortran-90 is developed to simulate the dynamic behavior of the proposed solar thermal collector. It was shown that the developed 3D-model produces computational results that are consistent with experimental data. In addition, to check the accuracy of the mathematical model and numerical approach, the relative errors in the mass balance and energy balance were calculated and values of 0.054 % and 0.18 %, respectively, were obtained. The simulation results offer insights into the system's technical feasibility, revealing an overall efficiency of 90.6 %, the water temperature at the collector outlet can reach 357.3 K, and a water volume heated of 230.4 L under the considered operating conditions. Moreover, the results indicate that the proposed MH-STC system exhibits significant potential as a viable alternative for thermal storage in domestic hot water systems.