Numerical study of a metal hydride heat transformer for low-grade heat recovery Simulation of a MH heat transformer

Due to the increasing demand for clean energy and improved energy utilization, the metal hydride heat transformer for low-grade heat recovery has attracted wide attentions recently. In this paper, such a system with LaNi sub(5)-LaNi sub(4.7)Al sub(0.3) pair, which is used for upgrading waste heat to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied thermal engineering 2011-10, Vol.31 (14-15), p.2749-2756
Main Authors: YANG, F. S, ZHANG, Z. X, WANG, G. X, BAO, Z. W, DINIZ DA COSTA, J. C, RUDOLPH, V
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Computer simulation
Dynamics
Energy
Energy. Thermal use of fuels
Exact sciences and technology
Heat recovery
Heat transfer
Heat transformers
Mathematical models
Metal hydrides
Theoretical studies. Data and constants. Metering
Upgrading
Waste heat
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Summary:Due to the increasing demand for clean energy and improved energy utilization, the metal hydride heat transformer for low-grade heat recovery has attracted wide attentions recently. In this paper, such a system with LaNi sub(5)-LaNi sub(4.7)Al sub(0.3) pair, which is used for upgrading waste heat to a higher temperature, was investigated in detail by numerical simulation. Different from existing studies, in this investigation only ambient and waste heat sources are involved during operation of the heat transformer, which could be advantageous in many aspects. A rigorous 2-D unsteady model was developed and numerically solved by the fully implicit finite volume method (FVM). It was shown that the proposed system can achieve steady heat upgrading operation, resulting in an average temperature boost of 6.8 K using a 358 K waste heat source. The dynamic behavior of the heat transformer in three subsequent cycles was analyzed, and the measures aiming at continuous output were further discussed.
ISSN:1359-4311
DOI:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2011.04.047