Chemical heat pump working according to the hybrid principle related application

Abstract

In a chemical heat pump installation two identical main units are provided, each one including a reactor and one condenser/evaporator integrated in the same container ( 100 ). One main unit is charged while the other one e.g. produces cooling. Large energy amounts are consumed in the switching operation when the unit that has been charged is to be cooled and the unit that has produced cooling is to be heated. To reduce these amounts of energy each of reactor and condenser/evaporator are divided in two further vessels. The condenser/evaporator has one part ( 3 ), in which the heat exchanger ( 3.3 ) thereof is placed, and one collecting part ( 4 ), in which the volatile liquid in its condensed shape is stored. In the same way, the reactor has a part ( 1 ), in which the heat exchanger ( 1.3 ) and the filter ( 1.2 ) thereof are placed, and a collecting part ( 2 ), in which solution of the active substance in the volatile liquid is stored. By this division only a small portion of the current mass has to change its temperature in the switching operations that hence can be made significantly more rapidly. A large gain in cooling efficiency can be obtained in an installation having two main units. Furthermore, no valves are required on the vacuum side.

1 . A chemical heat pump including an active substance and a volatile liquid that can be absorbed and desorbed by the active substance at respective temperatures, between which a substantially constant temperature difference exists, so that within the interval between the temperatures the active substance gradually passes from a state dissolved in the volatile liquid to a solid state when the volatile liquid is being desorbed, the chemical heat pump including: 
 a reactor part having a beat exchanger located therein, the active substance all the time staying in the reactor part and therein being transferred between a solid state and a state dissolved in the volatile liquid,    a condenser/evaporator part having a second heat exchanger located in it, only the volatile liquid staying in the condenser/evaporator part all the time in a varying amount, the volatile liquid being vaporized and condensed therein, and    a passage/pathway for only vapor/gas between the reactor part and the condenser/evaporator part,    characterized in    that the reactor part is divided in two separate vessels, 
 a reactor vessel to perform the absorption/desorption of the volatile liquid in/from the active substance and to contain or store the active substance, when it after desorption is in a solid state, and  
 a reactor collecting vessel for collecting and storing the active substance, when it is in a state dissolved in the liquid,  
   so that it is achieved that the temperature of the material stored or staying in the reactor collecting vessel is not dependent on the temperature of desorption of the volatile liquid and of vaporizing it in the reactor vessel, and/or    that the condenser/evaporator part is divided in two separate vessels, 
 a condenser/evaporator vessel to perform vaporizing/condensing of the amount of the volatile liquid staying in the condenser/evaporator part, and  
 a collecting vessel for collecting the volatile liquid in its liquid/condensed state during unloading the chemical heat pump and for storing it during the loading of the chemical heat pump,  
   so that it is achieved that the temperature of the material stored or staying in the condenser/evaporator part collecting vessel is not dependent on the temperature of vaporizing/condensing in the condenser/evaporator vessel.    
   
   
       2 . A chemical heat pump according to  claim 1 , characterized by a first pump arranged for circulating the active substance, the first pump connected to the reactor collecting vessel to make the active substance in the dissolved state thereof flow over the first heat exchanger and also connected to an outlet of the reactor vessel, so that it is achieved that liquid flows and levels are balanced without any control or regulation.  
   
   
       3 . A chemical heat pump according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the condenser/evaporator vessel includes a emergency liquid vessel for receiving limited amount of condensate of the liquid vessel, the emergency liquid vessel connected, through a connection path including a vapor lock, to an outlet pipe of the first pump containing a circulating flow over the active substance in the dissolved state thereof, the temperature difference between the active substance in the circulating flow and the condensate in the emergency liquid vessel preventing a flow from the emergency liquid vessel into the outlet pipe during operation of the chemical heat pump.  
   
   
       4 . A chemical heat pump according to  claim 3 , characterized in that the connection path between the emergency liquid vessel and the outlet pipe includes a check valve arranged to prevent unintentional flow of the active substance in its dissolved state to the emergency liquid vessel.  
   
   
       5 . A chemical heat pump according to  claim 1 , characterized by a filter or net in the reactor part arranged beneath the first heat exchanger and arranged to retain the active substance in its solid state.  
   
   
       6 . A chemical heat pump according to  claim 5 , characterized in that the filter or net is designed as a basket open upwards for receiving the active substance in the solid state thereof.  
   
   
       7 . A chemical heat pump according to  claim 1 , characterized in that a connection path between the reactor vessel and the reactor collecting vessel can be established according to control or selection to obtain a mixing of amounts of the active substance in the dissolved state thereof that are staying in the reactor vessel and in the reactor collecting vessel.  
   
   
       8 . A chemical heat pump according to  claim 7 , characterized by a control unit for establishing the connection path between the reactor vessel and the reactor collecting vessel depending on the temperature in the reactor vessel, so that the connection is established when this temperature is low.  
   
   
       9 . A chemical heat pump according to  claim 8 , characterized in that the control unit includes a temperature sensor, in which the temperature variation corresponds to a change of the position of a mechanical part or in which the temperature variation is converted to mechanical work, in particular including a part of bimetal or of memory metal or a part including wax or gas.  
   
   
       10 . A chemical heat pump according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the reactor vessel is placed directly on top of the reactor collecting vessel with a simple separating wall.  
   
   
       11 . A chemical heat pump according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the reactor vessel is arranged having its main portion located directly above the reactor collecting vessel and has a narrow part extending downwards through the reactor collecting vessel to an inlet of a first pump, that is arranged for circulating the active substance and receives active substance from the reactor vessel.  
   
   
       12 . A chemical heat pump according to  claim 11 , characterized in by a pump filter in the reactor vessel, the pump filter being arranged in the narrow portion at the inlet of the first pump.  
   
   
       13 . A chemical heat pump according to  claim 11 , characterized in that the first pump is placed at the bottom of the reactor collecting vessel to receive liquid also from the reactor collecting vessel.  
   
   
       14 . A chemical heat pump according to  claim 13 , characterized by a pump filter in the reactor collecting vessel, the pump filter arranged at an outlet of the reactor collecting vessel connected to the inlet of the first pump.  
   
   
       15 . A chemical heat pump according to  claim 1 , characterized by a vacuumtight container that by partition walls, in particular by substantially horizontal partition walls, is divided to form a reactor vessel, a reactor collection vessel, a condenser/evaporator vessel and a condenser/evaporator collector vessel.  
   
   
       16 . A chemical heat pump according to  claim 15 , characterized in that the condenser/evaporator vessel is located directly above the reactor vessel.  
   
   
       17 . A chemical heat pump according to  claim 15 , characterized by in that the collecting vessel for the condenser/evaporator part is placed lowermost in the vacuumtight container.  
   
   
       18 . A chemical heat pump according to  claim 1 , characterized by a sprayer for spraying liquid over surfaces of a heat exchanger, the sprayer being arranged to be rotated over surfaces of the heat exchanger by gravity acting on liquid that passes the sprayer.  
   
   
       19 . A sprayer or distributor for spraying liquid over surfaces of a heat exchanger, in particular in a chemical heat pump, including 
 at least one substantially horizontal sprayer arm having at least one outlet opening for liquid,    a mounting device at which the sprayer arm is mounted to be rotated about a substantially vertical rotation shaft with a rotating movement caused by the flow of the liquid, characterized by a vane or scoop device for receiving liquid from said at least one outlet opening, the vane or scoop device arranged to be made to move, by the gravity acting on the received liquid, and thereby rotate the sprayer arm and the vane or scoop device about the rotation shaft of the sprayer arm.    
   
   
       20 . A sprayer according to  claim 19 , characterized in that the vane or scoop device includes: 
 a vane or scoop wheel having a rotation shaft and at least one vane or scoop arranged to receive liquid from at least one outlet opening of the sprayer arm and to rotate, by the weight of liquid received in said at least one vane or scoop, about the rotation shaft and then empty out the received liquid, and    a driving device connected to the rotation shaft to make, in the rotation of the vane or scoop heel, the sprayer arm to be rotated about the shaft of the sprayer arm.    
   
   
       21 . A sprayer according to  claim 20 , characterized in that said at least one vane or scoop is located substantially straight beneath the sprayer arm to also perform, in the rotating movement of the sprayer arm, the same rotating movement as the sprayer arm.  
   
   
       22 . A sprayer according to  claim 20 , characterized in that said at least one vane or scoop is elongated including a groove shaped space extending in a direction away from the shaft of the sprayer arm.  
   
   
       23 . A sprayer according to  claim 20 , characterized by 
 a driving wheel connected to the rotation shaft of the vane or scoop wheel, and    a circular path against which the driving wheel runs, so that in the rotation of the vane or scoop wheel and the rotation shaft the driving wheel is made to rotate and by friction against the circular path moves along the path and thereby rotates the vane or scoop wheel around the shaft of the sprayer arm.    
   
   
       24 . A sprayer according to  claim 20 , characterized in that the sprayer arm includes a pipe having an elongated slot or at least one hole, in particular a slot or a hole arranged at the topmost portion of the pipe.