Analysis of PtGtX Systems with Metal Hydride Storage Based on Coupled Electrochemical and Thermodynamic Simulation

Power-toGas to -X (PtGtX) systems consisting of PV cells, PEM electrolysis, hydrogen storage based on metal-hydrides, PEM fuel cells and buffer batteries could be used to meet heat and electricity demands of homes, businesses, or small districts. However, the actual size of the individual components and their interplay are crucial for the technical and economic feasibility for the respective application. Currently, there are hardly any tools available that can simulate power, fluid and heat flows of such systems simultaneously. In this paper, a multiphysical energy system simulation and analysis tool called MEgy is introduced. MEgy models electrochemical and thermodynamic processes. Innovations include calibration processes for parameters of the metal-hydride storage, PEM electrolyzer and PEM fuel cell, an extended degradation model for PEM fuel cells, an integration of modern equations of state for the fluids considered, and an own numerical solver for the arising differential-algebraic system of equations. A simulation model of a hydrogen lab is successfully set up based on experimental results. KEYWORDS power-to-gas to -X, metal hydride storage, PEM, parameter calibration, energy network simulation, DAE solver.