Las energías renovables son una alternativa segura al problema socio-económico que experimenta la región del Mercosur. El hidrógeno es el acumulador ideal para la energía de origen eolo-eléctrica. Si bien el hidrógeno es el elemento más abundante en la naturaleza, requiere energía para su producción, pues raras veces se lo encuentra libre. Por electrólisis se obtiene hidrógeno puro. Es por ello que en las regiones del Mercosur la conjunción ideal que debe ser explotada es la unión de dos elementos, el viento y el hidrógeno, por cuanto la utilización de celdas de combustible permite obtener energía eléctrica estable en lugares aislados a partir de energía eólica, que es fluctuante. También se están desarrollando métodos de obtención de hidrógeno por reformado de gas natural o biodiesel con muy buenos resultados. Por lo tanto, el presente trabajo tiene como común denominador estudios e investigaciones sobre la energía del hidrógeno y sus consecuencias benéficas en relación con los recursos renovables y no renovables y con la reducción del impacto ambiental durante su utilización. El carácter multidisciplinario de este trabajo ha permitido abordarlo desde un aspecto básico y también tecnológico contemplando distintas posibilidades, como la producción de electricidad en celdas de combustible y la producción de hidrógeno empleando energía eólica y su impacto en la región.

Renewable energies are a safe alternative to the socioeconomic problem that the Mercosur region is experiencing. Hydrogen is the ideal medium for wind and electric energy storage. Although hydrogen is the most abundant element in nature, it requires energy for its production, because it seldom occurs free. Pure hydrogen is obtained by water electrolysis. It is for that reason that in the Mercosur regions the ideal scenario that must be exploited is the combination of two elements, wind and hydrogen, inasmuch as the use of fuel cells allows obtaining steady electric energy in isolated places from wind energy, which is intermittent. Methods for obtaining hydrogen by the reforming of natural gas or biofuel with very good results are also being developed. Therefore, the present work focuses on both studies and research on hydrogen energy and its beneficial consequences in relation to renewable and non-renewable resources, and to the mitigation of the environmental impact during its use. The multidisciplinary character of this work has allowed approaching it from a basic and also technological aspect considering different possibilities, such as electricity generation in fuel cells and hydrogen production using wind energy, and their impact on the region.

Processing and analysis of telemetry data of the Argentine SAC-C satellite Ni-H2 batteries are presented. Diagnostic indicators were established in order to evaluate the performance in-flight of the satellite's electricity storage system. The state of charge of the batteries was related to the hydrogen pressure. A predictive analysis allowed us to early detect failures in the electricity storage system.

Se presentan los resultados del procesamiento y análisis de los datos de telemetría de las baterías de Ni-H2 del satélite SAC-C en vuelo. Se determinaron indicadores de criterio de diagnóstico que permiten evaluar el estado operativo en tiempo real del sistema de almacenamiento de electricidad del satélite. Se correlacionó el estado de carga de la batería con la presión de hidrógeno. Se realizó un análisis predictivo del sistema de recarga que permitió detectar en forma temprana fallas operativas.

Rechargeable alkaline batteries of nickel-metal hydride have been widely studied due to the interest in replacing the cadmium electrode by metal hydride electrodes of low or null environmental impact. Recent developments include Laves phases based on ZrCr2 with multiple substitutions to improve electrode performance. In this work, results are presented on the electrochemical behavior of the Zr0.9Ti0.1Mn0.66V0.46Ni1.1, its structural and morphologic characterization and its behavior under gaseous hydrogen absorption- desorption cycles. The pressure-composition-temperature (PCT) curves show a high hydrogen storage capacity (H/M ~ 3.4, where H/M = x is the number of H atoms per alloy formula unit in the metal hydride MHx). It is also found a steep slope in the PCT isotherms, instead of a horizontal plateau corresponding to the two-phase equilibrium. Electrode activation was studied by voltammetric cycles, while the electrochemical capacity of hydrogen absorption was determined by galvanostatic measurements. For comparison, the Zr0.9Ti0.1CrNi alloy was also studied. The discharge capacities found are about 330 mAh/g for both alloys, but the activation is achieved faster for Zr0.9Ti0.1Mn0.66V0.46Ni1.1 than for Zr0.9Ti0.1CrNi.

Este trabalho apresenta estudos de carga/descarga realizados sobre ligas metálicas multi componentes ("misch metal alloys") recobertas com Paládio e que podem ser utilizadas como eletrodos em baterias de níquel/hidreto metálico. Foi determinado o efeito do recobrimento nas características voltamétricas, no ciclos de vida e na capacidade sob diversos regimes de descarga para os eletrodos de liga metálica. O número de ciclos necessários para ativar os eletrodos de liga metálica diminui quando o conteúdo de Pd aumenta. Os resultados mostram também que as ligas recobertas com Pd apresentam uma maior capacidade de carga e um desempenho melhor que aquelas sem o Pd. Essas melhores características podem ser atribuídas ao efeito catalítico do Pd sobre a reação de hidrogênio.

Charge / discharge studies carried out on Pd - coated misch metal - based alloys for use in nickel-metal hydride batteries are presented. The effect of Pd coating on the voltammetric characteristics, life cycle behavior, and rate capability of the alloy electrodes was determined. The number of cycles required to activate the alloy electrodes decreases with an increase in the Pd content. The results also show that Pd - coated alloys exhibit higher storage capacities and better performance than bare alloys.This improved performance can be attributed to the catalytic effect of Pd on the hydrogen electrode reaction.