SQUARE-WAVE ANALYSIS OF THE SOLID VAPOR ADSORPTION HEAT-PUMP

A thermally driven heat pump using a solid/vapor adsorption/desorption compression process in a vapor compression cycle is thermodynamically analyzed. The cycle utilizes a simple heat transfer fluid circulating loop for heating and cooling two solid adsorbent beds. This heat transfer fluid loop also serves to transmit heat recovered from the adsorbing bed being cooled to the desorbing bed being heated. This heat recovery process greatly improves the efficiency of the single stage solid/vapor adsorption process without the complication of a two stage cycle. During the heating and cooling processes a thermal wave profile travels through the beds. This paper uses a square wave representation for the true shape of the thermal wave.