Compressor Driven Metal Hydride Heat Pumps Using Adsorptive Slurry and Isothermal Compression

Environmentally-friendly heat pumps operate using reversible adsorption and desorption of hydrogen from metallic compounds, which were incorporated in a cycle having a work input (compressor) or thermal energy input (generator). Some challenges faced by compressor-driven metal hydride heat pumps are poor heat transfer in the metal hydride beds and high compressor discharge temperatures. To overcome these challenges, a metal-hydride slurry in conjunction with various isothermal compression techniques were used. Liquid-flooded, electrochemical and liquid piston compressors were modeled and integrated into a system model in order to assess their impact on the performance of the slurry-based metal hydride heat pump system.