Heat pump apparatus

Patent · 31 December 1982

OSTI ID:864486

Nelson, Paul A ^[1]; Horowitz, Jeffrey S ^[2]

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1. Wheaton, IL
2. Woodridge, IL

A heat pump apparatus including a compact arrangement of individual tubular reactors containing hydride-dehydride beds in opposite end sections, each pair of beds in each reactor being operable by sequential and coordinated treatment with a plurality of heat transfer fluids in a plurality of processing stages, and first and second valves located adjacent the reactor end sections with rotatable members having multiple ports and associated portions for separating the hydride beds at each of the end sections into groups and for simultaneously directing a plurality of heat transfer fluids to the different groups. As heat is being generated by a group of beds, others are being regenerated so that heat is continuously available for space heating. As each of the processing stages is completed for a hydride bed or group of beds, each valve member is rotated causing the heat transfer fluid for the heat processing stage to be directed to that bed or group of beds. Each of the end sections are arranged to form a closed perimeter and the valve member may be rotated repeatedly about the perimeter to provide a continuous operation. Both valves are driven by a common motor to provide a coordinated treatment of beds in the same reactors. The heat pump apparatus is particularly suitable for the utilization of thermal energy supplied by solar collectors and concentrators but may be used with any source of heat, including a source of low-grade heat.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 4372376
• OSTI ID: 864486
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/165/
adjacent
apparatus
apparatus including
arranged
arrangement
associated
available
bed
beds
causing
closed
collectors
common
compact
completed
concentrators
containing
continuous
continuous operation
continuously
coordinated
directed
directing
driven
energy
energy supplied
fluid
fluids
form
generated
heat
heat processing
heat pump
heat transfer
heating
hydride
hydride bed
hydride-dehydride
including
individual
located
located adjacent
low-grade
motor
multiple
operable
operation
opposite
pair
particularly
particularly suitable
perimeter
plurality
portions
ports
processing
provide
pump
pump apparatus
reactor
reactors
reactors containing
regenerated
repeatedly
rotatable
rotated
sections
separating
sequential
simultaneously
solar
solar collector
solar collectors
source
space
space heating
stage
stages
suitable
supplied
thermal
thermal energy
transfer
transfer fluid
treatment
tubular
tubular reactor
utilization
valve
valves
valves located