Resorption Thermal Transformer Generator Design

Samuel Hinmers, George H. Atkinson, Robert E. Critoph and Michel van der Pal
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Samuel Hinmers: Sustainable Thermal Energy Technologies (STET) Research Group, School of Engineering, The University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
George H. Atkinson: Sustainable Thermal Energy Technologies (STET) Research Group, School of Engineering, The University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
Robert E. Critoph: Sustainable Thermal Energy Technologies (STET) Research Group, School of Engineering, The University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
Michel van der Pal: TNO Energy Transition, Westerduinweg 3, 1755 LE Petten, The Netherlands

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-29

Abstract: This work takes an empirical and evidence-based approach in the development of a resorption thermal transformer. It presents the initial modelling conducted to understand key performance parameters (coefficient of performance and specific mean power) before discussing a preliminary design. Experimental results from large temperature jump and isosteric heating tests have identified the importance of heat transfer in ammonia-salt systems. Both the heat transfer resistance between the salt composite adsorbent and the tube side wall, and the heat transfer from the heat transfer fluid to the tube side wall are key to realising resorption systems. The successful performance of a laboratory-scale prototype will depend on the reduction in these heat transfer resistances, and improvements may be key in future prototype machines. A sorption reactor is sized and presented, which can be scaled for length depending on the desired power output. The reactor design presented was derived using data on reaction kinetics constants and heat of reaction for calcium chloride reacting with ammonia that were obtained experimentally. The data enabled accurate modelling to realise an optimised design of a reactor, focusing on key performance indicators such as the coefficient of performance (COP) and the system power density. This design presents a basis for a demonstrator that can be used to collect and publish dynamic data and to calculate a real COP for resorption system.

Keywords: resorption; sorption; heat-recovery; heat; transformers; system design; reversible heterogeneous reactions; thermodynamics; modelling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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