A chemical heat pump using carbon fibers as additive. Part I: enhancement of thermal conduction

To use carbon fibers as additive in a chemical heat pump, based on a solid-gas reaction, three mixtures of carbon fibers with the reagent compounds are proposed: simple mixture, impregnation of the carbon fibers with reagent compounds and intercalation of the reagent compounds into graphite fibers. By adding carbon fibers, the thermal conductivity of the reagent bed is enhanced. While using the different mixtures, the performances of a chemical heat pump were compared. As a result of this study, impregnation and intercalation compounds gave the best performances. The comparison between these compounds shows that impregnation preparation is easier, while the intercalation compounds are stronger. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.