Modeling of a metal hydride cooling system

A lumped-parameter model was established for metal hydride cooling system, in which the plateau slope and hysteresis are considered. The working cycle of a metal hydride system using MmNi_4.5Al_0.5/MmNi_4.2Al_0.1Fe_0.7, as working media was simulated and its performance was predicted. The effects of plateau slope, hysteresis, working temperatures and heat recovery on system performance were investigated. The results show that COP (coefficient of performance) of the system can reach 0.33 at the designing point, while the plateau slope and hysteresis have negative effects, and heat recovery can improve COP but would decrease the cooling power.