Design and Large Temperature Jump Testing of a Modular Finned-Tube Carbon–Ammonia Adsorption Generator for Gas-Fired Heat Pumps
Gas-fired heat pumps are a potential replacement for condensing boilers, utilizing fossil-fuel resources more efficiently and reducing the amount of biogas or hydrogen required in sustainable gas grids. However, their adoption has been limited due to their large size and high capital cost, resulting...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-06-01
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| Series: | Energies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/11/3332 |
| _version_ | 1797531220568965120 |
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| author | Steven Metcalf Ángeles Rivero-Pacho Robert Critoph |
| author_facet | Steven Metcalf Ángeles Rivero-Pacho Robert Critoph |
| author_sort | Steven Metcalf |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Gas-fired heat pumps are a potential replacement for condensing boilers, utilizing fossil-fuel resources more efficiently and reducing the amount of biogas or hydrogen required in sustainable gas grids. However, their adoption has been limited due to their large size and high capital cost, resulting in long payback times. For adsorption-based heat pumps, the major development challenge is to maximize the rate of heat transfer to the adsorbent, whilst minimizing the thermal mass. This work develops a modular finned-tube carbon–ammonia adsorption generator that incorporates the adsorbent in highly compacted 3-mm layers between aluminum fins. Manufacturing techniques that are amenable to low cost and high-volume production were developed. The module was tested using the large temperature jump (LTJ) method and achieved a time constant for adsorption and desorption of 50 s. The computational model predicted that if incorporated into two adsorption generators of 6 L volume each, they could be used to construct a gas-fired heat pump with a 10 kW heat output and a gas utilization efficiency (GUE, the ratio of useful heat output to higher calorific value of gas used) of 1.2. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:40:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-22a0bb1e81e44b98ac5ed216f35eb1c4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:40:45Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj.art-22a0bb1e81e44b98ac5ed216f35eb1c42023-11-21T22:58:29ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732021-06-011411333210.3390/en14113332Design and Large Temperature Jump Testing of a Modular Finned-Tube Carbon–Ammonia Adsorption Generator for Gas-Fired Heat PumpsSteven Metcalf0Ángeles Rivero-Pacho1Robert Critoph2School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UKSchool of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UKSchool of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UKGas-fired heat pumps are a potential replacement for condensing boilers, utilizing fossil-fuel resources more efficiently and reducing the amount of biogas or hydrogen required in sustainable gas grids. However, their adoption has been limited due to their large size and high capital cost, resulting in long payback times. For adsorption-based heat pumps, the major development challenge is to maximize the rate of heat transfer to the adsorbent, whilst minimizing the thermal mass. This work develops a modular finned-tube carbon–ammonia adsorption generator that incorporates the adsorbent in highly compacted 3-mm layers between aluminum fins. Manufacturing techniques that are amenable to low cost and high-volume production were developed. The module was tested using the large temperature jump (LTJ) method and achieved a time constant for adsorption and desorption of 50 s. The computational model predicted that if incorporated into two adsorption generators of 6 L volume each, they could be used to construct a gas-fired heat pump with a 10 kW heat output and a gas utilization efficiency (GUE, the ratio of useful heat output to higher calorific value of gas used) of 1.2.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/11/3332adsorptionheat pumpactive carbonammonia |
| spellingShingle | Steven Metcalf Ángeles Rivero-Pacho Robert Critoph Design and Large Temperature Jump Testing of a Modular Finned-Tube Carbon–Ammonia Adsorption Generator for Gas-Fired Heat Pumps Energies adsorption heat pump active carbon ammonia |
| title | Design and Large Temperature Jump Testing of a Modular Finned-Tube Carbon–Ammonia Adsorption Generator for Gas-Fired Heat Pumps |
| title_full | Design and Large Temperature Jump Testing of a Modular Finned-Tube Carbon–Ammonia Adsorption Generator for Gas-Fired Heat Pumps |
| title_fullStr | Design and Large Temperature Jump Testing of a Modular Finned-Tube Carbon–Ammonia Adsorption Generator for Gas-Fired Heat Pumps |
| title_full_unstemmed | Design and Large Temperature Jump Testing of a Modular Finned-Tube Carbon–Ammonia Adsorption Generator for Gas-Fired Heat Pumps |
| title_short | Design and Large Temperature Jump Testing of a Modular Finned-Tube Carbon–Ammonia Adsorption Generator for Gas-Fired Heat Pumps |
| title_sort | design and large temperature jump testing of a modular finned tube carbon ammonia adsorption generator for gas fired heat pumps |
| topic | adsorption heat pump active carbon ammonia |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/11/3332 |
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