ANALYTICAL MODEL FOR THE THERMAL WAVE ADSORPTION HEAT-PUMP CYCLE

A thermal wave adsorption heat pump cycle utilizes a simple heat transfer fluid loop for heating and cooling two solid adsorbent beds. This loop also serves to transmit heat recovered from the bed being cooled to the bed being heated. During these heating and cooling processes the so-called thermal wave (steep temperature front) travels through the bed. This paper uses a ramp wave model for the true shape of the thermal wave. The effect of the bed thickness on the waves is taken into account by assuming that the wave in the bed comes a little while after the wave in the fluid. This paper gives some examples for the pairs zeolite/ammonia and zeolite/methanol. The new model is also compared with the existing old models by Shelton.