Heat and mass transfer, fluid flow and chemical reactions in a hydride bed are numerically investigated with a general purpose PHOENICS code. Hydride formation takes place faster near the cooled boundary walls and slower around the core region of the bed. It is found that fluid flow affects the temperature distribution in the system, however, it does not significantly improve the amount of hydrogen absorbed. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd on behalf of the International Association for Hydrogen Energy.