Simulation of transient heat and mass transfer during hydrogen sorption in cylindrical metal hydride beds

A CFD analysis of heat and mass transfer in cylindrical metal hydride beds is carried out using the commercial code Fluent 6.2. The effect of bulk diffusion is considered for mass transfer in the solid phase. Temporal and spatial variations of temperature and concentration in hydride bed are plotted. Emphasis is given to monitor the motion of hydrogen within the bed and to the influence of the L / D ratio and porosity. It is observed that a concentration variation in the bed is the driving force for hydrogen flow in hydride beds. The gas movement is observed to be from saturated cooler peripheral region towards the unsaturated hotter core region of the bed.