A Carbolite tube furnace is playing a key role in a research programme at the Riso National Laboratory in Denmark to investigate the potential of metal hydrides for hydrogen storage.
While the advantages of hydrogen as a fuel are well recognised, suitable ways of storing it, particularly for mobile applications such as cars, have yet to be developed.
The Institute has installed a special experimental rig to test the capacity, kinetics, thermodynamics and stability of hydrides that could be used for this purpose.
In order to prevent samples being exposed to air, they are tested in a sealed reactor that is loaded and unloaded in a glove box with an inert atmosphere and then heated in the Carbolite furnace at temperatures up to 500C.
The MTF model used is particularly compact and is mounted on rails on the work-bench so that it can be moved from side to side to give access to the reactor.
The maximum operating temperature of the furnace, which has a 250mm long heating zone and is used with a 25mm diameter work tube, is 1200C.
Low thermal mass insulation ensures rapid heat-up, and a microprocessor-based digital controller delivers precise, repeatable temperatures.
