Abstract
A low-temperature-heat storage apparatus that stores the heat of water evaporation in the form of ice produced in a kind of organic polymer gel (WAPG) was proposed. An air conditioner with the above heat storage apparatus was also proposed (Fig. 5). The surface area of water can be spread by the use of WAPG in a thin sheet type. Part of the water contained in WAPG is vaporized at 0.2 to 0.6 kPa to change the remaining part of the water into ice. It was shown that the water vapor pressure above the polymer gel was the same as that above pure water. The heat stored in a liter of WAPG was around 222 kJ. From calculation, the coefficient of performance of heat storage (COPC) was 5 to 10, depending on the temperatures of vaporization and condensation (Fig.7). The coefficient of performance of the air conditioner (COPA) was calculated for various operating parameters such as COPC temperature and vapor pressure changes of the air-conditioned room, work of the blower and total energy loss. The proposed air conditioner can be operated at a COPA of 2 to 4 (Figs. 10, 11, 12).
