Performance of a metal hydride device for simultaneous heat transformation and refrigeration

An analysis of a metal hydride-based system for simultaneous heat transformation and refrigeration is presented. A six-reactor configuration comprising of three different hydriding alloys has been considered taking account of the coupled heat and mass transfer in the reactors. The influence of parameters like cycle time and operating temperatures has been studied. It was found that the cycle time plays an important role and has to be selected judiciously for specified output. Among the various operating temperatures it was observed that the heat source and heat rejection temperatures have significant influence on the system performance. Copyright The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org, Oxford University Press.