Fundamental Material Properties of the 2LiBH4-MgH2 Reactive Hydride Composite for Hydrogen Storage: (I) Thermodynamic and Heat Transfer Properties

Abstract

Thermodynamic and heat transfer properties of the 2LiBH4-MgH2 composite (Li-RHC) system are experimentally determined and studied as a basis for the design and development of hydrogen storage tanks. Besides the determination and discussion of the properties, different measurement methods are applied and compared to each other. Regarding thermodynamics, reaction enthalpy and entropy are determined by pressure-concentration-isotherms and coupled manometric-calorimetric measurements. For thermal diffusivity calculation, the specific heat capacity is measured by high-pressure differential scanning calorimetry and the effective thermal conductivity is determined by the transient plane source technique and in situ thermocell. Based on the results obtained from the thermodynamics and the assessment of the heat transfer properties, the reaction mechanism of the Li-RHC and the issues related to the scale-up for larger hydrogen storage systems are discussed in detail.

Keywords

• hydrogen storage
• LiBH4/MgH2
• metal hydrides
• borohydrides
• reactive hydride composites
• material properties