JPS635658B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a heat pump device, and more specifically,
The present invention relates to a heat pump device using metal hydride.

It is known that certain metals and alloys exothermically absorb hydrogen to form metal hydrides, and that these metal hydrides reversibly and endothermically release hydrogen. Various heat pump devices have been proposed that utilize the characteristics of metal hydrides.

In most of the heat pump devices that have been proposed, metal hydrides with different equilibrium hydrogen decomposition pressures are filled in sealed containers that form heat exchangers.
Each heat exchanger is operated to endothermically release hydrogen from the metal hydride in one heat exchanger, guide this hydrogen to the other heat exchanger, and exothermically store it in the metal hydride in this heat exchanger. The exchangers are alternately repeated to extract heat output from each heat exchanger due to heat generation or absorption of heat from the metal hydride.

Therefore, in such a heat pump device, there is a problem that heat output cannot be obtained continuously at a constant level, but only in a pulsating manner. Furthermore, in order to cause the metal hydride to perform the above-mentioned reactions alternately, each heat exchanger is connected by a complex heat medium circuit, and the heat medium circuit is switched by valve operation. Because the device performs heating or cooling alternately, it has poor reliability, and the heating medium circuit itself has a heat capacity, so heat loss when heating mediums with different temperatures are passed through the heating medium circuit alternately is also ignored. The coefficient of performance of the device is low.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and is directed to a working pair consisting of a pair of closed containers filled with metal hydrides having different hydrogen equilibrium decomposition pressures in the operating temperature range, when a heating medium at a predetermined temperature is used. By circulating the heat medium through each circulating heat medium chamber, it is possible to continuously and stably obtain a certain level of heat output, and there is no need for a complicated heat medium circuit or control mechanism. An object of the present invention is to provide a heat pump device with a high coefficient of performance because there is no heat loss in the heat medium circuit.

The heat pump device of the present invention uses first and second metal hydrides having different equilibrium decomposition pressures of hydrogen in the operating temperature range, endothermically releases hydrogen from the first metal hydride, and transfers this hydrogen to the second metal hydride. A heat pump configured to exothermically occlude hydrogen in a metal hydride, then endothermically release hydrogen from the second metal hydride, and exothermically occlude hydrogen in the first metal hydride. In the apparatus, a first closed container filled with a first metal hydride and a second closed container filled with a second metal hydride are connected and communicated through a communication pipe to form a working pair, and this working pair The first closed containers are adjacent to each other, the second closed containers are adjacent to each other, parallel to each other, and each working pair is endless so that it extends in a direction perpendicular to its running direction. fixed on a rotating traveling member and circulating and traveling together with the traveling member, and in each working pair, when the first sealed container is in the high temperature heating medium chamber, the second sealed container is in the medium temperature heating medium chamber, Next, the heating medium chambers are arranged so that when the first sealed container is in the medium temperature heating medium chamber, the second sealed container is in the low temperature heating medium chamber.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION The heat pump apparatus of this invention is demonstrated based on the drawing which shows an Example below.

FIG. 1 shows a working pair in a heat pump device of the present invention and an endless running member for running the working pair, in which a first closed container 1a is filled with a first metal hydride (hereinafter referred to as MH1), The second closed container 1b is filled with a second metal hydride (hereinafter referred to as MH2) which has a higher hydrogen equilibrium decomposition pressure than MH1 in the operating temperature range, and these two closed containers are connected to the hydrogen communication pipe 2. The actuating pair 3 is configured by being connected and communicating with each other. Preferably, fins (not shown) are provided on the outer surface of each closed container to facilitate heat exchange with a heating medium in a heating medium chamber, which will be described later.

In the heat pump device of the present invention, a large number of such working pairs are arranged in parallel on the endless rotating traveling member 4 such that the first closed containers are adjacent to each other and the second closed containers are adjacent to each other. , and each actuating pair is fixed so as to extend perpendicularly to the traveling direction of the traveling member, and travels in circulation together with the traveling member. In the embodiment shown, the running member 4 is a belt or a string, each closed container being secured to one or more belts, each belt having a pair of drives having a cutout 5 for receiving the lower half of the closed container. It is installed between the gears 6 and is driven in a predetermined direction by the gears. However, the traveling member is not limited to the above example, and the operating pair may be fixed as described above, and
Any means may be used as long as it can circulate and travel.

FIG. 2 shows a conceptual diagram of the heat pump device of the present invention, in which the working pair 3 and the traveling member 4 are housed in a container 7. This container is partitioned by a first partition wall 8 extending along the running direction of the running member,
Furthermore, a second partition wall 9 extending perpendicularly to this partition wall
It is divided into four heat medium chambers. These heat medium chambers are for circulating a heat medium for heat exchange with the closed container filled with metal hydride, and the first closed container 1a is placed at a high temperature so that it passes through it alternately while traveling in a predetermined direction. A heating medium chamber 10 and a medium temperature heating medium chamber 11 are arranged adjacent to each other, and when the first sealed container is in the high temperature heating medium chamber, the second sealed container 1b is placed in the medium temperature heating medium chamber 12. , and when the first sealed container is in the medium-temperature heat medium chamber 11, the second sealed container is in the low-temperature heat medium chamber 1.
3, medium temperature heat medium chamber 12 and low temperature heat medium chamber 1
3 are arranged adjacent to each other, and a high temperature heat medium chamber 10 and a medium temperature heat medium chamber 12 on the side of the second closed container.
are adjacent to each other, and the medium-temperature heat medium chamber 11 and low-temperature heat medium chamber 13 on the side of the first closed container are adjacent to each other.

In the heat pump device of the present invention, each heating medium chamber is kept as airtight as possible so as not to impede the traveling of the traveling member and the working pair fixed thereto, and the gas heating medium is, for example, heated air. or cooling air is preferably used. Further, in order to prevent movement of the gas heat medium between the heat medium chambers, it is preferable that the gas heat medium is supplied to each heat medium chamber at substantially the same pressure.

The operation of the above-mentioned device will be explained based on the so-called clockwise cycle diagram shown in FIG.

In one working pair, when the first sealed container is in the high-temperature heating medium chamber and the second sealed container is in the medium-temperature heating medium chamber, MH1 in the first sealed container is heated by the high-temperature heating medium at the temperature TH. and releases hydrogen (point A),
Due to the difference in hydrogen equilibrium decomposition pressure, this hydrogen moves through the communication pipe to the second closed container, where MH2 maintained at temperature TM by a medium-temperature heating medium exothermically absorbs this hydrogen (point B ). Next, when this working pair runs and the first closed container enters the medium temperature heat medium chamber and the second closed container enters the low temperature heat medium chamber, MH1 is cooled to temperature TM by the medium temperature heat medium (point D), on the other hand,
MH2 endothermically releases hydrogen and takes heat from the low-temperature heating medium at temperature TL (point C), and MH1 at temperature TM exothermically occludes this hydrogen. Therefore,
Cold output can be obtained from low-temperature heat medium. Further, thermal output can also be obtained from the exothermic hydrogen storage reaction of the metal hydride in each working pair.

On the other hand, a working pair in which the first sealed container is initially located in the medium-temperature heating medium chamber and the second sealed container is located in the low-temperature heating medium chamber performs the same reaction half a cycle later than the above-mentioned working pair.

Therefore, according to the heat pump device of the present invention,
For example, it is possible to continuously obtain cooling output at a constant level from a low temperature heat medium using a high temperature heat medium as a driving heat source. In the embodiment, the temperatures of the two medium-temperature heating media are the same TM, but it is clear that they may have different temperatures.

In addition, Fig. 4 shows the operation of the heat pump device by the so-called counterclockwise cycle, but at a predetermined temperature.
The process is the same as above except that the hydrogen transfer between MH1 and MH2 is in the opposite direction, and by such a cycle, for example, a thermal output of temperature TH is generated at a constant level from a high temperature heat source using a medium temperature heat medium as the driving heat source. can be obtained continuously.

As described above, according to the heat pump device of the present invention, when heating or cooling the closed container in each working pair and obtaining output from the working pair, the heating medium chamber through which the heating medium of a predetermined temperature flows is operated. The pairs are circulated and run in this way, exchanging heat with the heat medium.
Unlike conventional equipment that switches the heating medium circuit and exchanges heat with a closed container filled with metal hydride, it is not only possible to obtain a constant output stably and continuously from a given heating medium, but also to generate complex heat. It is easy to operate because it does not require a media circuit or a control mechanism for it. Furthermore, since a heat medium of the same temperature is always flowing through the heat medium chamber, and there is no heat loss due to heating or cooling of the heat medium chamber itself, the coefficient of performance of the device is also high.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the main parts of the heat pump device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of the heat pump device of the present invention, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are examples of cycle diagrams showing the operation of the device of the present invention. be. 1a...First airtight container, 1b...Second airtight container, 2...Communication pipe, 3...Working pair, 4...Running member, 10...High temperature heat medium chamber, 11, 12...Medium Heating medium room, 13...Low temperature heating medium room.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 Using first and second metal hydrides that have different equilibrium decomposition pressures of hydrogen in the operating temperature range, hydrogen is endothermically released from the first metal hydride, and this hydrogen is exothermically released into the second metal hydride. occlusion,
Next, in a heat pump device in which hydrogen is endothermically released from the second metal hydride and hydrogen is exothermically occluded in the first metal hydride, the first metal hydride is filled. The first
and a second container filled with a second metal hydride.
are connected and communicated with each other through a communication pipe to form a working pair, and a large number of these working pairs are arranged parallel to each other such that the first sealed container is adjacent to each other and the second sealed container is adjacent to each other. and each working pair is fixed on an endless rotating running member so as to extend in a direction perpendicular to the running direction thereof, and is caused to circulate and run together with the running member, and in each working pair, the first sealed container is The second sealed container is in the medium temperature heating medium chamber when the first sealed container is in the medium temperature heating medium chamber, and the second sealed container is in the low temperature heating medium chamber when the first sealed container is in the medium temperature heating medium chamber. A heat pump device characterized in that each heat medium chamber is arranged in a heat pump device.