The kinetics of interstitial hydrogen are of great interest and importance for metal-hydride storage, purification, fusion and fission reactor technology, material failure processes, optical sensors for hydrogen gas and many other technologies. In particular nano-sized materials motivate fascinating applications and scientific questions. If hydrogen is absorbed in vanadium it alters the band structure around the Fermi energy. These modifications of the band structurelead to a change in the absorptance of vanadium which are in first order approximation proportional to the concentration. We present a methodto quantify chemical diffusion of hydrogen in nano-sized materials.The induced changes in the absorptance of vanadium hydride (VHx) thin-films are observed visually and in real-time as a function of position.Concentration profiles and their evolution in time, during chemicaldiffusion, were measured down to a hydrogen content corresponding tojust a few effective monolayers, randomly distributed within VHx. For concentrations reached via phase transitions distinct diffusional behavior was found, where a diffusion-front, a strong concentration gradient, migrates in the direction of the diffusive hydrogen flux. The results show that decreased size strongly influences the energy landscape and reveal different rate limiting steps for absorption and desorption.

La problématique de la première absorption (i.e. étape d’activation) de l’intermétallique FeTi, pour le stockage de l’hydrogène est souvent un frein pour son industrialisation. Le challenge réside dans la conception d’un « nouveau matériau » dont la première étape d’hydrogénation, s’effectue dans les mêmes conditions de température et de pression modérées, que lors de l’hydrogénation réversible. Une solution est de faire appel aux performances d’un élément dopant et/ou à la technique du broyage mécanique. Dans ce manuscrit, nous proposons l’utilisation de l’hafnium comme dopant. Ce projet complète les études qui ont été effectuées sur le zirconium (e.g. le zirconium commercial contient toujours une certaine quantité d’hafnium). L’ajout d’une faible quantité d’hafnium induit la formation d’une phase secondaire, « riche » en hafnium et en fer. Grâce à la présence de cette phase, la cinétique de première absorption est considérablement améliorée, et ce, sans traitement thermique préalable. L’étape d’activation comprend un seul mécanisme lorsque la taille des particules est faible. A contrario, un second mécanisme est mis en évidence, pour des particules de taille supérieure à 0,5 mm. La mécanosynthèse a permis non seulement d’obtenir la phase principale FeTi, mais aussi de favoriser la première absorption d’hydrogène. Des paramètres d’élaboration méticuleusement optimisés ont rendu possible la conception d’un matériau « modèle », par pulvérisation cathodique magnétron, sous forme de couche mince. Ce matériau modèle pourrait servir à étudier et à comprendre la diffusion de l’hydrogène à l’interface de la matrice FeTi et du dopant Zr ou Hf. / The issue of the first hydrogenation (i.e. activation process) of the intermetallic FeTi for the storage of hydrogen is often a brake for its use in industry. The challenge lies in the design of a "new material" whose first hydrogenation is carried out under the same conditions of moderate temperature and pressure, as during reversible absorption. Efficient solutions are to use a doping element and/or mechanical alloying process. In this work, we propose to use hafnium as a dopant. This project completes the studies that have been carried out on zirconium (e.g. commercial zirconium always contains a certain amount of hafnium). The addition of a small amount of hafnium induces the formation of a secondary phase, "rich" in hafnium and iron. Thanks to the presence of this phase, the kinetics of activation process is improved, without prior heat treatment. The activation process consists of a single step, when the particle size is small. However, a second step appears, for particles bigger than 0.5 mm. The mechanical alloying allowed the formation of the main phase FeTi, and also enhanced the activation process. An accurate control of deposition conditions allow us to design a ″model″ material by magnetron sputtering as thin layers. This ″model″ material can be used to study and understand the hydrogen diffusion, at the interface of the matrix (FeTi) and the dopant (Zr or Hf).

L'objectif de la thèse était d'étudier la faisabilité d'un couplage thermique entre un réservoir d'hydrure métallique et une source externe de chaleur. L'évolution des propriétés de composites à base d'hydrure de magnésium (MgH2) a été étudiée en fonction du nombre de cycles d'hydruration. On observe une très bonne stabilité de la capacité massique d'absorption sur le long terme (600 cycles réalisés). Les premiers cycles sont néanmoins marqués par une évolution importante de la microstructure qui dépend de la proportion et/ou de la nature de l'additif utilisé lors de la mécano-synthèse des poudre d'hydrure. Cette évolution est associée à une augmentation de la conductivité thermique, mais également à une légère dégradation des cinétiques intrinsèques de réaction ainsi qu'à une expansion volumique des composites. Nos mesures montrent que l'amplitude des contraintes mécaniques engendrées sur les parois d'un réservoir se stabilisent après une cinquantaine de cycles. Un réservoir contenant 10 kg de MgH2, et capable de stocker 6500 Nl d'hydrogène en 35 minutes a ensuite été développé au laboratoire. L'énergie des réactions d'absorption et de désorption est échangée avec une source externe de chaleur via un fluide caloporteur. Ce système permet de représenter l'intégration thermique d'un réservoir d'hydrure dans un système de cogénération. Un modèle numérique a été développé afin de mieux appréhender le comportement de ce réservoir. Des essais de couplage entre un réservoir de taille plus modeste et une pile à combustible haute température (SOFC) développant une puissance électrique de 1 kW ont également été réalisés au Politecnico di Torino. / The main target of the thesis was to study the thermal integration of a magnesium hydride (MgH2) tank with an external heat source. At first, the evolution of material properties upon cycling were investigated. A large microstructural evolution was observed during the first cycles which impacts on kinetics of reaction and thermal conductivity. An expansion of the composites is also observed. Quantity and/or nature of the additives used during material preparation was identified as an important parameter controlling this phenomenon. Our measures show that mechanical strains on the tank wall due to this expension are stable after 40 hydrogenation cycles. A large number of cycles was applied to these composites which exhibits a very high stability upon cycling. A large scale magnesium hydride tank (10 kg MgH2) storing 6500 Nl of hydrogen in 35 minutes was developed and tested. The energy of reaction is exchanged with an external heat source by a heat transfer fluid. This installation allows to simulate the integration of a magnesium hydride tank into a co-generation system. A numerical model was developed in order to better understand and predict the behavior of this tank. A thermal integration test of the MgH2 with a high temperature fuel cell (SOFC) was performed at Politecnico di Torino.

Electrical generation with renewable sources is intermittent due to the characteristics of the primary energy (sun, wind, run of water, etc.). This feature can cause fluctuations and distortions on the voltage levels compromising power quality, stability and reliability when connected to an electrical system. The storage of energy acting together either as standalone unit or interconnected to the generating source of the public network can increase the penetration of these sources in the energy matrix. Among the different forms of energy storage, the one using hydrogen is quite promising because of its characteristics such as low environmental impact, high energy density, and energy high storage capacity. In this thesis, it is proposed some basis for designing, controlling and analyzing a hydrogen-based energy storage plant, consisting of a set of an alkaline type electrolyzer, hydrogen storage in the form of metallic hydrides and a fuel cell stack of the type PEM. The proposed plant was modeled and validated through experimental tests. The model allowed simulation of the main physicochemical quantities involved in the process of generation, storage and conversion of hydrogen into electricity storage. The fuel cell stack that is part of the energy storage was automated to avoid damages to the membrane, acting mainly on temperature control, elimination of contaminants on the anode side, and voltage reestablishment through the controlled application of short-circuits. The metal hydride cylinder storing hydrogen has been also automated with the main purpose of performing a thermal exchange in the best possible way between the metal alloy and the environment. Reuniting these devices to make them to act in synchrony, the plant was automated, controlled and monitored through a software developed in the LabView platform, making it more autonomous the whole plant. This program allows also acquisition and storage of the main physico-chemical quantities during the plant operation. These magnitudes collected in the tests along with the simulation results were analyzed and characterized the fundaments of this thesis. / A geração de energia elétrica a partir de fontes renováveis é intermitente devido às características da energia primária (sol, vento, fio d'água, etc.) e podem causar oscilações e distorções nos níveis de tensão comprometendo a qualidade da energia, a estabilidade e a confiabilidade quando conectadas ao sistema elétrico. O armazenamento de energia atuando junto a fonte geradora isolada ou interligada à rede pública pode aumentar a penetração dessas fontes, de baixo impacto ambiental, na matriz energética. Entre as diferentes formas de armazenamento de energia, o uso de hidrogênio é considerado bastante promissor devido ao baixo impacto ambiental, alta densidade de energia e alta capacidade de armazenamento. Nessa tese, propõe-se as bases para concepção, controle e análise de uma planta armazenadora de energia baseada em hidrogênio, constituída por um eletrolisador do tipo alcalino, armazenamento de hidrogênio na forma de hidretos metálicos e uma pilha de células a combustível do tipo PEM. A planta proposta foi modelada e validada através de testes experimentais. O modelo permite simular as principais grandezas físico-químicas envolvidas desde o processo de geração, armazenamento e conversão do hidrogênio armazenado em eletricidade. A pilha de células a combustível, que faz parte do armazenador de energia, foi automatizada para operar sem danos a membrana, atuando principalmente no controle da temperatura, na eliminação de contaminantes no lado do ânodo e no reestabelecimento da tensão através da aplicação controlada de curtos-circuitos na pilha. O cilindro de hidreto metálico que armazena o hidrogênio também foi automatizado com o intuito principal de realizar a troca térmica da melhor forma possível entre a liga metálica e o ambiente. Unindo esses dispositivos para atuarem em sincronia, a planta foi automatizada, controlada e monitorada através de um software desenvolvido na plataforma LabView, de tal forma a torná-la mais autônoma. Este programa também permite que sejam adquiridos e armazenados o comportamento das principais grandezas físico-químicas durante operação da planta. Essas grandezas levantadas em testes juntamente com resultados de simulações, foram analisadas e caraterizada os fundamentos desta tese.

abstract: Thermal Energy Storage (TES) is of great significance for many engineering applications as it allows surplus thermal energy to be stored and reused later, bridging the gap between requirement and energy use. Phase change materials (PCMs) are latent heat-based TES which have the ability to store and release heat through phase transition processes over a relatively narrow temperature range. PCMs have a wide range of operating temperatures and therefore can be used in various applications such as stand-alone heat storage in a renewable energy system, thermal storage in buildings, water heating systems, etc. In this dissertation, various PCMs are incorporated and investigated numerically and experimentally with different applications namely a thermochemical metal hydride (MH) storage system and thermal storage in buildings. In the second chapter, a new design consisting of an MH reactor encircled by a cylindrical sandwich bed packed with PCM is proposed. The role of the PCM is to store the heat released by the MH reactor during the hydrogenation process and reuse it later in the subsequent dehydrogenation process. In such a system, the exothermic and endothermic processes of the MH reactor can be utilized effectively by enhancing the thermal exchange between the MH reactor and the PCM bed. Similarly, in the third chapter, a novel design that integrates the MH reactor with cascaded PCM beds is proposed. In this design, two different types of PCMs with different melting temperatures and enthalpies are arranged in series to improve the heat transfer rate and consequently shorten the time duration of the hydrogenation and dehydrogenation processes. The performance of the new designs (in chapters 2 and 3) is investigated numerically and compared with the conventional designs in the literature. The results indicate that the new designs can significantly enhance the time duration of MH reaction (up to 87%). In the fourth chapter, organic coconut oil PCM (co-oil PCM) is explored experimentally and numerically for the first time as a thermal management tool in building applications. The results show that co-oil PCM can be a promising solution to improve the indoor thermal environment in semi-arid regions. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Mechanical Engineering 2020

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(エネルギー科学) / 甲第21879号 / エネ博第380号 / 新制||エネ||74(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院エネルギー科学研究科エネルギー基礎科学専攻 / (主査)准教授 高井 茂臣, 教授 萩原 理加, 教授 佐川 尚 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Energy Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

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Dissolution of hydrogen into intermetallic compounds characteristically occurs at interstitial sites, causing little alteration to the base metal substructure but often bringing about substantial electronic and magnetic changes to the material. These hydrogen-induced alterations in the intermetallic hydrides are of interest both on a fundamental research level and in terms of technological applications; however, there exists no general theory as to how and why these alterations arise. The objective of this research is to elucidate to general effect of hydrogen on intermetallic compounds through the study of crystallographic, magnetic and electronic properties. An investigation has been carried out on the properties of three intermetallic compound - hydrogen systems of general formula ZrM₂, where M = V, Cr, Mn. All three compounds reversibly absorbed hydrogen with no change in crystal symmetry: powder diffraction studies showed that hydrogen was accommodated in interstitial sites of the existing metal sublattice via lattice expansion. The measurement of the magnetic properties of these systems was combined with the determination of conductivity and dielectric properties in order to describe the electronic e¤ects of hydrogen absorption. Despite the lack of signi…cant structural alteration in these systems, electron transfer between the metal sublattice and hydrogen may occur, as manifested in the appearance/disappearance of magnetic phenomena and the increase/decrease of electrical conductivity. Whilst the hydrogen addition in ZrM₂-H occurs simply via an expansion of the crystal structure, hydrogen does not act purely as null dilutant - there exist subtle electronic changes connected with the hydriding process as well.

Neste trabalho foram estudadas ligas La0,7-xPrxMg0,3Al0,3Mn0,4Co0,5Ni3,8 (x= 0 a 0,7) no estado bruto de fusão, para utilização em eletrodos negativos de baterias de níquel-hidreto metálico (Ni-HM). A caracterização das ligas foi realizada através das seguintes técnicas: microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV), espectroscopia de energia dispersiva (EDS) e difração de raios X. Foi também determinada capacidade de absorção de hidrogênio destas ligas. A hidrogenação do material foi realizada em dois processos sendo: o primeiro denominado de baixa pressão (0,2 MPa de hidrogênio e temperatura de 500ºC) e o segundo de alta pressão (1 MPa e de hidrogênio e temperatura de 25ºC). Foi observado que com o aumento do teor de Pr a capacidade de absorção de hidrogênio diminui. Para o estudo da capacidade de descarga das baterias foi utilizado um analisador digital de quatro canais e observou-se um decréscimo na capacidade de descarga das baterias com adição de praseodímio para as composições La0,7-xPrxMg0,3Al0,3Mn0,4Co0,5Ni3,8 (x= 0 a 0,3). A maior capacidade de descarga (386 mAhg-1) e estabilidade cíclica foi obtida para a liga La0,2Pr0,5Mg0,3Al0,3Mn0,4Co0,5Ni3,8. Esta capacidade obtida pode estar relacionada com a maior proporção da fase LaMg2Ni9 encontrada na liga com adição de 0,5 % at. de Pr. / The La0,7-xPrxMg0,3Al0,3Mn0,4Co0,5Ni3,8 (x= 0 a 0.7) as-cast alloys to apply in negative electrodes for nickel-metal hydride batteries (Ni-MH). The characterizations of the alloys were realized by: scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) and X-ray diffraction techniques. A study of hydrogen absorption capacity of the alloys realized. The hydrogenation of the material was performed in two processes: the low pressure (0.2 MPa of hydrogen and temperature of the 773 K) and high pressure (1 MPa of hydrogen and temperature of the 298 K). It was observed that with increasing Pr content occurred a decrease the hydrogen absorption capacity. The capacity of discharge of the batteries was determined utilizing an analyzer digital computerized composed of four channels. It was observed decreases of the discharge capacity of the batteries when increase praseodymium content in La0,7-xPrxMg0,3Al0,3Mn0,4Co0,5Ni3,8 (x= 0 a 0.3) alloys. The highest discharge capacity (386 mAhg-1) and stability cyclic were obtained to La0.2Pr0.5Mg0.3Al0.3Mn0.4Co0.5Ni3.8 alloy. This capacity can be related to the higher proportion of phase LaMg2Ni9 in the alloy with the addition of 0.5 at.% Pr.

Neste trabalho foram estudadas ligas La0,7-xPrxMg0,3Al0,3Mn0,4Co0,5Ni3,8 (x= 0 a 0,7) no estado bruto de fusão, para utilização em eletrodos negativos de baterias de níquel-hidreto metálico (Ni-HM). A caracterização das ligas foi realizada através das seguintes técnicas: microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV), espectroscopia de energia dispersiva (EDS) e difração de raios X. Foi também determinada capacidade de absorção de hidrogênio destas ligas. A hidrogenação do material foi realizada em dois processos sendo: o primeiro denominado de baixa pressão (0,2 MPa de hidrogênio e temperatura de 500ºC) e o segundo de alta pressão (1 MPa e de hidrogênio e temperatura de 25ºC). Foi observado que com o aumento do teor de Pr a capacidade de absorção de hidrogênio diminui. Para o estudo da capacidade de descarga das baterias foi utilizado um analisador digital de quatro canais e observou-se um decréscimo na capacidade de descarga das baterias com adição de praseodímio para as composições La0,7-xPrxMg0,3Al0,3Mn0,4Co0,5Ni3,8 (x= 0 a 0,3). A maior capacidade de descarga (386 mAhg-1) e estabilidade cíclica foi obtida para a liga La0,2Pr0,5Mg0,3Al0,3Mn0,4Co0,5Ni3,8. Esta capacidade obtida pode estar relacionada com a maior proporção da fase LaMg2Ni9 encontrada na liga com adição de 0,5 % at. de Pr. / The La0,7-xPrxMg0,3Al0,3Mn0,4Co0,5Ni3,8 (x= 0 a 0.7) as-cast alloys to apply in negative electrodes for nickel-metal hydride batteries (Ni-MH). The characterizations of the alloys were realized by: scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) and X-ray diffraction techniques. A study of hydrogen absorption capacity of the alloys realized. The hydrogenation of the material was performed in two processes: the low pressure (0.2 MPa of hydrogen and temperature of the 773 K) and high pressure (1 MPa of hydrogen and temperature of the 298 K). It was observed that with increasing Pr content occurred a decrease the hydrogen absorption capacity. The capacity of discharge of the batteries was determined utilizing an analyzer digital computerized composed of four channels. It was observed decreases of the discharge capacity of the batteries when increase praseodymium content in La0,7-xPrxMg0,3Al0,3Mn0,4Co0,5Ni3,8 (x= 0 a 0.3) alloys. The highest discharge capacity (386 mAhg-1) and stability cyclic were obtained to La0.2Pr0.5Mg0.3Al0.3Mn0.4Co0.5Ni3.8 alloy. This capacity can be related to the higher proportion of phase LaMg2Ni9 in the alloy with the addition of 0.5 at.% Pr.