The effective thermal conductivity of the metal hydride bed is analyzed by the homogenization method. This method can represent the microstructure in the bed precisely. The referenced material is LaNi4.7Al0.3, which is practically used. Temperature and pressure ranges investigated here are from -80degreesC to + 140degreesC and from 10(-6) to 100 bar, respectively. Hydrogen, helium, nitrogen and argon are chosen as the filling gas. The validity of the homogenization method as the multi-scale analysis is confirmed by a good correspondence with the experimental data that the effective thermal conductivity depends on the pressure of the filling gas under these various conditions (Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 23(2) (1998) 107). The homogenization method can become a powerful tool for the estimation of the effective thermal conductivity of the metal hydride bed by considering the microscopic behavior such as the pulverization and the change of the contact area. (C) 2003 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.