In-situ characterization of HyDUS bed ‘breathing’ process using combined neutron and x-ray tomography

The UK government aims to produce 10GW of low-carbon hydrogen into the energy mix by 2030. However, one of the challenges in using hydrogen as an energy carrier is its low volumetric energy density. Metal hydrides are a promising alternative for mass hydrogen storage, but challenges remain in reducing costs and improving efficiency. Actinide materials such as uranium and thorium are highly efficient chemical storage materials for hydrogen. This proposal is part of the HyDUS project, which aims to build an energy storage demonstrator that uses depleted uranium (DU) for mass hydrogen storage. The proposed experiment aims to evaluate the performance of a novel DU bed during hydrogen charging and discharging. The bed features a helical copper configuration to accommodate for the expanding material while acting as an efficient heat exchanger. The experiment will use a combination of neutron and x-ray tomography to gain insight into the bed dynamics and hydrogen distribution during loading and unloading. Neutron imaging is expected to be highly applicable due to its sensitivity to hydrogen distribution, and complementary high resolution x-ray characterization will be performed.