The present study involves numerical simulation of transient transport of hydrogen and beat within a metal-hydrogen reactor connected to a hydrogen tank during the hydriding process. This problem is of particular interest in the design of many installations in the field of energy technology (compressor, heat pumps, thermal or hydrogen storage systems). The reactor presents an expansion volume for hydrogen. The hydrogen flow is described by general momentum conservation equations instead of Darcy's law. The evolutions of the temperature, of the hydrogen concentration and of the hydrogen flow velocity are presented. The effects of the reactor dimensions, the inlet diameter, the volume of the expansion part, the tank volume, the initial pressure and the amount of hydrogen in the tank, on the heat and hydrogen transfer are determined. (C) 2003 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.