The Performance of a Large Scale Metal Hydride Heat Pump

Abstract

The operating performance of a large-scale metal hydride heat pump, whose design is optimized by numerical simulation, has been investigated. The heat exchanger in the heat pump, which is of a shell and tube type with copper fin tubes to enhance heat flux through the metal powder, contains two different metal hydrides in one shell; each hydride is completely separated by a center plate. The purpose of the present investigation is to demonstrate the performance of the heat pump, which has been numerically predicted, and to ascertain the optimum operating conditions. As a result, a heat output of approximately 174 kW in the heat upgrading cycle time of around 10 minutes.