Abstract:
This paper designs an integrated device for hydrogen purification and storage using the flow-through metal hydride method, with a 50 Nm3/h industrial-scale hydrogen processing capacity, filled with La-Ni-Al hydrogen storage alloy. It is used to separate and purify high-purity hydrogen from mixed gases containing 60-90% H2. The effects of temperature, pressure, and other parameters on the separation and purification performance of the device, as well as the heat transfer effect of the hydrogen storage reactor during hydrogen absorption and desorption, were systematically studied through experiments. The results indicate that tube-type heat exchange has a better heat transfer effect in the middle part of the reactor. Comparative experiments were conducted on the reactor bed temperature and hydrogen absorption back pressure, and the optimal hydrogen absorption temperature of the reactor was determined to be around 100℃, and the optimal hydrogen absorption back pressure was determined to be around 1.8 MPa. Additionally, self-produced hydrogen was used for purging to remove impurities, and the mixed gas from the purging tail gas tank was recycled and used as feed gas for the next reaction. The optimized process parameters were continuously operated for 72 hours through a PLC control system. The results show that all parameters of the continuous operation system are stable, and the self-purging mechanism lies in enhancing impurity surface desorption and molecular diffusion. The final hydrogen purity can reach 99.999% through self-produced hydrogen purging, and the hydrogen recovery rate of high-purity hydrogen products obtained through self-purging and recycling of tail gas from the purging tail gas tank is 83.09%. This demonstrates the broad application prospects of the metal hydride method in the field of hydrogen separation and purification.