EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY ON HEAT-TRANSFER ENHANCEMENT OF THE SOLID REACTANT PARTICLE BED IN A CHEMICAL HEAT-PUMP USING CA(OH)2/CAO REACTION

From the viewpoint of utilizing the energy, the authors applied the Ca(OH)2/CaO reversible thermochemical reaction to a chemical heat pump. The total efficiency of the present chemical heat pump was investigated experimentally by focusing on improving the heat transfer rate in the solid reactant particle bed in the chemical heat pump, reactor. It was found that the heat transfer rate in the reactor during both heat-release and heat-absorbing processes was greatly enhanced without any drop in the heat storage density by applying a passive heat transfer augmentation technique, in which copper fins were radially inserted in the reactant bed.