Experiment and model results of a first bidirectional active temperature control module with metal hydrides for a fuel cell

Abstract

Many temperature control techniques are based on active heating and passive cooling and thus have a lack of active bidirectional controllability. Whereas, several applications need a precise bidirectional temperature control. The present study demonstrates a novel bidirectional and active temperature control unit (TCU). This unit heats and cools a fluid with the reversible reaction between metals and hydrogen. The reaction of metal hydrides is characterized by a pressure temperature correlation. Hence, the thermal power and the temperature can be regulated by the gas pressure in the TCU. This enables temperature controllers with the pressure as actuating variable on the metal hydride. In this study, an existing LaNi5 reactor is modelled as 0D model. A PID controller is implemented in the simulation and in the experimental setup to stabilize the temperature with the regulation of the pressure in the reactor. Results from experiment and simulation show the stabilization of the temperature.