The behaviour of adsorbent energy storage beds
Abstract
The paper describes a numerical study of the behavior of packed beds containing adsorbent material and used for thermal-energy storage. The basic model assumes that the packed bed is composed of straight parallel channels in an otherwise solid material, that the transport of heat and water vapor from the air to the adjacent solid is governed by forced convection coefficients, and that the thermal and adsorption properties of the materials are constant. It is found that the heat-exchange performance of two adsorbent beds (one containing silica gel and another containing activated alumina) is inferior to that of a gravel bed, but their performance on a relative-humidity basis is superior. It is concluded that adsorbent beds can be much smaller than nonadsorbent ones, are relatively insensitive to thermal losses, and are more suited to energy storage for drying purposes rather than for simple heating purposes.
- Publication:
-
Solar Energy
- Pub Date:
- January 1976
- DOI:
- 10.1016/0038-092X(76)90055-4
- Bibcode:
- 1976SoEn...18..287C
- Keywords:
-
- Adsorbents;
- Air Flow;
- Beds (Process Engineering);
- Energy Storage;
- Heat Storage;
- Aluminum Oxides;
- Atmospheric Moisture;
- Channel Flow;
- Drying Apparatus;
- Heating Equipment;
- Mathematical Models;
- Packing;
- Silicon;
- Solids;
- Thermodynamic Properties