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The thermal masses of components influence the performance of many adsorption heat pump systems. However, typically when experimental adsorption systems are reported, data on thermal mass are missing or incomplete. This work provides original measurements of the thermal masses for experimental sorption heat exchanger hardware. Much of this hardware was previously reported in the literature, but without detailed thermal mass data. The data reported in this work are the first values reported in the literature to thoroughly account for all thermal masses, including heat transfer fluid. The impact of thermal mass on system performance is also discussed, with detailed calculation left for future work. The degree to which heat transfer fluid contributes to overall effective thermal mass is also discussed, with detailed calculation left for future work. This work provides a framework for future reporting of experimental thermal masses. The utilization of this framework will enrich the data available for model validation and provide a more thorough accounting of adsorption heat pumps.

Thermally-driven heat pumps can help to mitigate CO 2 emissions by enhancing the efficiency of heating systems or by driving cooling systems with waste or solar heat. In order to make the thermally-driven systems more attractive for the end consumer, these systems need a higher power density. A higher power density can be achieved by intensifying the heat and mass transfer processes within the adsorption heat exchanger. For the optimization of this key component, a numerical model of the non-isothermal adsorption dynamics can be applied. The calibration of such a model can be difficult, since heat and mass transfer processes are strongly coupled. We present a measurement and simulation procedure that makes it possible to calibrate the heat transfer part of the numerical model separately from the mass transfer part. Furthermore, it is possible to identify the parts of the model that need to be improved. For this purpose, a modification of the well-known large temperature jump method is developed. The newly-introduced measurements are conducted under an inert N 2 atmosphere, and the surface temperature of the sample is measured with an infrared sensor. We show that the procedure is applicable for two completely different types of samples: a loose grains configuration and a fibrous structure that is directly crystallized.

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Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) thanks to their Type V water adsorption isotherm (“S-Shape”) and large water capacity are considered as potential breakthourgh adsorbents for heat-pump applications. In particular Al(OH)-fumarate could enable...

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In adsorption heat pumps, the adsorbent is typically combined with heat conducting structures in order to ensure high power output. A new approach for the direct integration of zeolite granules into a copper structure made of short copper fibers is presented here. Zeolite NaY granules with two different grain sizes are coated with copper fibers and powder and sintered to larger structures. The sorption dynamics of these structures were measured and evaluated in terms of heat and mass transfer resistances and compared to the loose grain configuration of the same material. We found that the thermal conductivity of such a composite structure is approximately 10 times higher than the thermal conductivity of an adsorbent bed with NaY granules. Sorption equilibrium measurements with a volumetric method indicate that the maximum uptake is not altered by the manufacturing process. Furthermore, the impact of the adsorbent–metal structure on the total thermal mass of an adsorption heat exchanger is evaluated. The price of the superior thermal conductivity is a 40% higher thermal mass of the adsorption heat exchanger compared to the loose grain configuration.

A major challenge for gas-driven adsorption heat pumps is the production of compact, efficient, and cost-effective adsorption modules. We present the experimental data of a design based on sintered aluminum fiber heat exchangers, a technology currently under development. The adsorption module presented here is the result of the downsizing of a larger module. The downsized module has an adsorption heat exchanger that is 60% of the size of the larger-scale component, and an evaporator-condenser that is only 30% of the size of the larger-scale component. It is designed to fit the heating requirements of a wall-hung heat pump for a single-family home. For the first time, a comprehensive experimental study of the influence of half-cycle time, evaporator and adsorption temperature, and driving temperature on the efficiency and power of the module is presented. At temperature conditions relevant for the application of a gas-driven adsorption heat pump, i. e., evaporator temperature < 10 °C and adsorption temperature > 30 °C, we found that the downsizing has its price in terms of a higher thermal capacity of the components in relation to the adsorbent mass (9.6 kJ/(kg∙K) for ‘Size S’) vs. 5.6 kJ/(kg∙K) for ‘Size L’). We carried out an evaluation of heat and mass transfer resistances to compare the ‘Size L’ module directly with the ‘Size S’ module. Both modules have nearly the same volume-scaled heat and mass transfer resistances of 0.012 dm³ K/W (adsorption heat exchanger during adsorption) and 0.005 dm³K/W (evaporator–condenser during evaporation), and consequently a very similar volumetric power density. This evaluation proves the applicability and the consistency of the concept of heat and mass transfer resistances, and the scalability of this adsorption module technology.