Hydrogen Storage Technologies

Chapter 5Electrochemical Method of Hydrogenation/Dehydrogenation of Metal Hydrides

N.E. Galushkin*, N.N. Yazvinskaya and D.N. Galushkin

Laboratory of electrochemical and hydrogen energy, Don State Technical University, Town of Shakhty, Russia

*Corresponding author: [e-mail]

Abstract

In this chapter, it is experimentally proved that during a Ni-Cd batteries long service life (more than five years), hydrogen accumulation in large quantities takes place in the form of nickel hydrides in a sintered nickel matrix of oxide-nickel electrodes. The capacity of the sintered nickel matrix of the oxide-nickel electrode as a hydrogen absorber was quantified as 20.1 wt% and 400 kg m^–3. These values exceed three times all the earlier data obtained by traditional methods for any reversible metal hydride.

It is also proved that the thermal runaway can be used as a new high-performance method of desorption of hydrogen from metal hydrides. On its kinetic and thermodynamic parameters, this method is considerably superior to requirements established by the United States Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) for onboard hydrogen storage systems. For its processing, the thermal runaway does not require any certain temperature or pressure. It can work at any temperature and pressure of ambiance. Hydrogen desorption by the method of thermal runaway runs with the aid of electrochemical reactions. This is why this process is easily controllable by electrotechnical methods and hence it is far less ...