Operating properties of an adsorption heat pump driven by a fuel cell

The cold heat output characteristics of an adsorption heat pump (AHP) which contained a silica gel-fin tube module (FST-module) and was driven by a fuel cell were determined experimentally and theoretically. The cold heat output was estimated with considering contact heat resistance, and numerical results of the heat and mass transfer of such an AHP during the adsorption and desorption processes were well fitted to the experimental results. The cold heat output of the AHP containing the FST-module was 5-10 times as much as that of the AHP containing the silica gel-tube module (ST-module), because the heat transfer was enhanced by the fin tube and the vapor transfer resistance was also reduced due to the nonuse of adhesives. The AHP can be driven by low-level heat of around 333 K from a fuel cell, and the variations in temperature and waste heat amount could not make the AHP fail to performance.