Trident™ Thermal Conductivity Application Highlight Thermal Conductivity of Metal Hydrides in Hydrogen Pressure

This Application Highlight illustrates C-Therm’s unique capabilities in characterizing metal hydrides using a combination of C-Therm’s high-pressure cell designs and transient thermal conductivity measurement methods. The thermal conductivities of titanium-iron-manganese (TiFeMn) metal hydride were measured using the TLS (powder) and TPS (pellets) methods. The samples were tested in vacuum, ambient, and 6.9 bar hydrogen atmospheres. Hydrogen has been increasingly studied as a clean and efficient energy source in the last decade. However, many constraints, such as energy density and safety concerns, still impede practical applications. Metal hydrides offer potential advantages in capacity, safety, and long-term stability. However, metal hydride powder's low inherent thermal conductivity significantly limits the hydrogenation/dehydrogenation process in the metal hydride bed. Characterizing the influencing factors on the effective thermal conductivity of a metal hydride bed, such as atmospheric conditions (pressure and gas), plays an important role in guiding the optimization design of heat and mass transfer structure of metal hydride hydrogen storage devices.