JPS6327624B2 - - 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.
For each heat exchanger, hydrogen is endothermically released from the metal hydride in one heat exchanger, and this hydrogen is guided to the other heat exchanger so that the metal hydride in this heat exchanger absorbs heat. This is repeated alternately, and the heat generated or absorbed by the metal hydride is extracted as output from each heat exchanger. Therefore, in such a heat pump device, in order to cause the metal hydride to undergo the above-mentioned reaction, a heat exchanger is incorporated into a complicated heat medium circuit, and the heat medium circuit is switched by valve operation. Each heat exchanger is heated or cooled alternately. Therefore, not only is the device unreliable, but the heat medium circuit itself has a heat capacity, so the heat loss when circulating heat mediums of different temperatures through the heat medium circuit cannot be ignored, and the coefficient of performance of the device is It will be lowered.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problem, and is directed to a heating medium circuit in which a heating medium of a predetermined temperature flows, and a reaction vessel chamber containing a reaction vessel filled with a metal hydride. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a heat pump device that operates reliably with simple operation and has a high coefficient of performance, without requiring a complicated heat medium circuit or its control mechanism, by switching the position.

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. In a heat pump device, hydrogen is exothermically occluded in a metal hydride, then hydrogen is endothermically released from a second metal hydride, and hydrogen is exothermically occluded in a first metal hydride. , (a) a closed container, and (b) 4 compartments partitioned into the closed container in an air-tight or liquid-tight manner by a diaphragm extending in the axial direction of the closed container.
(c) A heat transfer pipe for supplying a heat medium to each reaction vessel chamber, which is attached to the wall of the closed vessel facing each reaction vessel chamber; one metal hydride is filled in the other reaction vessel, the other reaction vessel is filled with a second metal hydride, and the respective reaction vessels are arranged in adjacent reaction vessel chambers and communicated with each other through a hydrogen communication pipe, and a reaction vessel forming a working pair in which hydrogen can only be transferred between both reaction vessels, the number of working pairs is an even number, and a reaction vessel filled with a first metal hydride is disposed. A reaction vessel filled with a first metal hydride and a reaction vessel filled with a second metal hydride forming a different working pair are disposed in adjacent reaction vessel chambers different from each other. A reaction vessel filled with a second metal hydride forming a different working pair is disposed in a different adjacent reaction vessel chamber, and the equilibrium decomposition pressure of hydrogen in the operating temperature range is the second metal hydride is higher than the first metal hydride, and the closed vessel and the reaction vessel chamber are relatively movable between the first predetermined position and the second predetermined position. At the first predetermined position, a high-temperature heating medium is passed through the reaction vessel chamber containing the first metal hydride in the first working pair, and the second metal hydride is supported in a first predetermined position. A medium-temperature heating medium is passed through the reaction vessel chamber, and at the same time, a medium-temperature heating medium is passed through the reaction vessel chamber containing the first metal hydride in the second working pair, and the reaction vessel containing the second metal hydride is passed through the reaction vessel chamber containing the second metal hydride. A low-temperature heat medium is passed through the chamber, and the second
At a predetermined position, in the first working pair, a medium temperature heating medium is passed through the reaction vessel chamber containing the first metal hydride, and a low temperature heating medium is passed through the reaction vessel chamber containing the second metal hydride. At the same time, in the second working pair, a high-temperature heating medium is passed through the reaction vessel chamber containing the first metal hydride, and a medium-temperature heat medium is passed through the reaction vessel chamber containing the second metal hydride. It is characterized by:

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

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a cylindrical airtight container 3 consisting of a body 1 and partition walls 2 on the front and rear sides,
A drive shaft 4 is rotatably supported through the drive shaft in the axial direction, and a plurality of partition plates 5 are fixed radially on the drive shaft. It is divided into 7 parts. The partition plate is formed to be able to slide on the inner wall surface of the closed container, that is, the inner wall surface of the body and the partition wall, and maintains each reaction container chamber substantially airtight or liquid-tight.

As shown in FIG. 2, in a pair of adjacent reaction chambers, one 7a contains a first metal hydride (hereinafter referred to as MH1) which has a low equilibrium decomposition pressure of hydrogen in the operating temperature range.
It is called. ) is provided, a reaction vessel a filled with
The other reaction vessel chamber 7b is provided with a reaction vessel b filled with a second metal hydride (hereinafter referred to as MH2) whose equilibrium decomposition pressure of hydrogen is higher than MH1 in the operating temperature range. , these reaction vessels are communicated with each other through a communication pipe 8 so that hydrogen can be transferred between them,
Reaction vessels accommodated in adjacent reaction vessel chambers thus form a working pair. If this is the first working pair, similarly, one of the other pair of adjacent reaction vessel chambers 7c is provided with a reaction vessel c filled with MH1, and the other reaction vessel chamber 7d is filled with MH2. A reaction vessel d is disposed therein and communicated with each other through a communication pipe to form a second working pair.

In the apparatus of the present invention, heat medium pipes 9 for supplying heat medium to each reaction vessel chamber are connected to partition walls at predetermined positions in the closed vessel so as to open into the reaction vessel. A heating medium at a predetermined temperature is distributed to each reaction vessel chamber.

The drive shaft is rotated by a motor (not shown) at a predetermined angle in a predetermined direction at predetermined time intervals to move the pair of reaction chambers forming an operating pair to a predetermined first position and a first predetermined position with respect to the heat medium pipe. 2 and the predetermined position.

That is, in the illustrated first predetermined position, a heat transfer pipe for supplying a high-temperature heat medium of temperature TH is located in the reaction vessel chamber housing reaction vessel a, and a heat medium pipe for supplying a high temperature heat medium at temperature TH is located in the reaction vessel chamber housing reaction vessel b. A heat medium pipe for supplying a medium temperature heat medium at a temperature TM is located, and a heat medium pipe for supplying a medium temperature heat medium at a temperature TM is located in the reaction vessel chamber accommodating the reaction vessel c, which accommodates a reaction vessel d. A heat medium pipe that supplies a low temperature heat medium at a temperature TL is located in the reaction vessel chamber. Therefore, the drive shaft moves in the direction of the dashed arrow.
When rotating 90°, in the first working pair,
A medium-temperature heating medium is passed through the reaction vessel chamber 7b that accommodates the reaction vessel a filled with MH1, and a low-temperature heat medium is passed through the reaction vessel chamber 7d that accommodates the reaction vessel b filled with MH2. In the second working pair, the reaction vessel chamber 7a containing the reaction vessel c filled with MH1 is filled with a high temperature heating medium, and the reaction vessel chamber 7c containing the reaction vessel d filled with MH2 is filled with a high temperature heating medium. The heating medium is distributed respectively. Next, when the drive shaft rotates 90 degrees counterclockwise as indicated by the solid arrow, each reaction vessel returns to its original position and comes into contact with the same heating medium as before. Therefore, each reaction vessel forming the working pair alternately contacts the heating medium at a predetermined temperature at predetermined time intervals.

In addition, although the reaction container is rotated with respect to the closed container 3 by the rotation of the drive shaft, it is clear that the reaction container may be fixed and the partition wall 2 rotated on the contrary. Furthermore, by making the pressure inside the reaction container chamber 7 and the pressure outside the closed container 3 similar, leakage of the heat medium to the outside or leakage between the reaction container chambers 7 can be substantially eliminated. Further, if the heat medium is air-like, the required accuracy of airtightness and liquidtightness between the reaction vessel chamber 7 and inside and outside of the closed vessel 3 is not high, which is one of the advantages of the present invention.

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

At the first predetermined position, MH1 of the first working pair is heated to temperature TH and releases hydrogen (point A), which is exothermically occluded by MH2 at temperature TM (point B). The reaction vessel is then placed in a second predetermined position, and when MH1 is cooled to temperature TM (point D), MH2 occludedly releases hydrogen to temperature
At TL (point C), MH1 absorbs heat from the low-temperature heating medium and absorbs this hydrogen exothermically.

On the other hand, in the second working pair, hydrogen transfer occurs from point C to point D at the first predetermined position, and hydrogen transfer from point A to point B occurs at the second predetermined position. That is, the second operating pair performs the same operation with a half-cycle delay relative to the first operating pair. Therefore, through the above-described cycle, for example, by using the high-temperature heat medium as the drive heat source, a cold output at the temperature TL can be obtained from each working pair from the low-temperature heat medium.

FIG. 4 shows another cycle which is the same as above except that the hydrogen transfer between MH1 and MH2 is in the opposite direction; such a cycle produces, for example, heat at temperature TH using a medium-temperature heating medium as the driving heat source. You can get the output.

In the illustrated embodiment, the closed container is divided into four reaction chambers to accommodate two working pairs; The reaction vessel is divided into chambers,
Moreover, it goes without saying that a plurality of reaction vessels may be accommodated in each reaction vessel chamber.

As described above, according to the heat pump device of the present invention, when heating or cooling a reaction vessel or obtaining output from the reaction vessel, a heat medium circuit through which a heat medium of a predetermined temperature flows is Since the containers are moved back and forth relatively to exchange heat with the heat medium, unlike conventional devices that switch the heat medium circuit and exchange heat with the reaction vessel, there is no need for complex heat medium routes or control mechanisms. Easy to operate. Furthermore, since a heat medium of the same temperature is always flowing through the heat medium pipe, and there is no heat loss due to heating or cooling of the heat medium pipe itself, the coefficient of performance of the device is high.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the heat pump device of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along line A-A in Fig. 1, and Figs. 3 and 4 show the operation of the device of the present invention. This is an example of a cycle diagram. 3... Airtight container, 4... Drive shaft, 5... Partition plate,
6... Reaction container, 7... Reaction container chamber, 8... Communication pipe, 9... Heat medium pipe.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Using first and second metal hydrides having different equilibrium decomposition pressures of hydrogen in the operating temperature range, hydrogen is endothermically released from the first metal hydride, and this hydrogen is released into the second metal hydride. exothermically occluded in the metal hydride of
Next, in a heat pump device in which hydrogen is endothermically released from a second metal hydride and hydrogen is exothermically occluded in a first metal hydride, the heat pump device includes: (a) a closed container; (b) The airtight container is divided into four airtight or liquid-tight sections by a partition plate extending in the axial direction of the airtight container.
(c) A heat transfer pipe for supplying a heat medium to each reaction vessel chamber, which is attached to the wall of the closed vessel facing each reaction vessel chamber; one metal hydride is filled in the other reaction vessel, the other reaction vessel is filled with a second metal hydride, and the respective reaction vessels are arranged in adjacent reaction vessel chambers and communicated with each other through a hydrogen communication pipe, and a reaction vessel forming a working pair in which hydrogen can only be transferred between both reaction vessels, the number of working pairs is an even number, and a reaction vessel filled with a first metal hydride is disposed. A reaction vessel filled with a first metal hydride and a reaction vessel filled with a second metal hydride forming a different working pair are disposed in adjacent reaction vessel chambers different from each other. A reaction vessel filled with a second metal hydride forming a different working pair is disposed in a different adjacent reaction vessel chamber, and the equilibrium decomposition pressure of hydrogen in the operating temperature range is the second metal hydride is higher than the first metal hydride, and the closed vessel and the reaction vessel chamber are relatively movable between the first predetermined position and the second predetermined position. At the first predetermined position, a high-temperature heating medium is passed through the reaction vessel chamber containing the first metal hydride in the first working pair, and the second metal hydride is supported in a first predetermined position. A medium-temperature heating medium is passed through the reaction vessel chamber, and at the same time, a medium-temperature heating medium is passed through the reaction vessel chamber containing the first metal hydride in the second working pair, and the reaction vessel containing the second metal hydride is passed through the reaction vessel chamber containing the second metal hydride. A low-temperature heat medium is passed through the chamber, and the second
At the predetermined position of the first working pair, a medium temperature heating medium is passed through the reaction vessel chamber containing the first metal hydride, and a low temperature heating medium is passed through the reaction vessel chamber containing the second metal hydride. At the same time, in the second working pair, a high-temperature heating medium is passed through the reaction vessel chamber containing the first metal hydride, and an intermediate-temperature heat medium is passed through the reaction vessel chamber containing the second metal hydride. A heat pump device featuring: