METHOD OF OPERATION OF METALLOHYDRIDE THERMAL PUMP Russian patent published in 2001 - IPC

FIELD: thermal pumps. SUBSTANCE: method consists in alternate half-cycles of charging and generation of preset temperature of two pairs: high-temperature and low-temperature metallohydrides working in antiphase at different levels of hydrogen pressure. Hydrogen in different amounts in introduced into vapors of metallohydrides; content of oxygen is lesser in pair of metallohydrides working at lower pressure of hydrogen as compared with that working at higher pressure of hydrogen; at the moment of completion of first half-cycle before beginning of second half-cycle, additional mass of hydrogen is introduced into pair of metallohydride having lesser amount of hydrogen and part of hydrogen is evacuated from pair of metallohydrides having larger amount of hydrogen; both masses are equal; time required for change of content of hydrogen does not exceed time of half- cycle; final content of hydrogen in pairs differ by amount of difference in contents in first half-cycle at reverse sign. In the course of change of content of hydrogen in metallohydride vapors, power interchange of metallohydride thermal pump and surrounding medium is effected in mode of first half-cycle but for generation of preset temperature. EFFECT: enhanced thermodynamic efficiency and increased specific useful power of thermal pump due to larger mass of hydrogen used in periods sorption-desorption cycles. 2 cl, 2 dwg