Chemical heat pump

Abstract

This invention provides a chemical heat pump capable of suppressing pressure loss using a powder catalyst. [Solution] The chemical heat pump (1) comprises an endothermic reactor (10), a separation device (20), and an exothermic reactor (30), and further comprises a powder catalyst supply device (40) that supplies unused powder catalyst to the endothermic reactor (10).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a chemical heat pump. [Background technology]

[0002] Against the backdrop of global warming and other factors, interest in energy-saving technologies remains high, and there is a demand for technologies that effectively utilize thermal energy by storing or releasing excess waste heat. One such technology is a chemical heat pump that decomposes isopropyl alcohol into acetone and hydrogen in an endothermic reaction in the presence of a catalyst, and then produces isopropyl alcohol from the decomposed acetone and hydrogen in an exothermic reaction in the presence of a catalyst (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 03-263550 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0004] However, in the conventional technology described above, for example, if a powder catalyst is used and the tubes of a multi-tube reactor are filled with the powder catalyst, the pressure loss within the reactor increases significantly, which may necessitate a larger pump for supplying liquid raw material components to the reactor, or may cause an increase in the reactor's design pressure. On the other hand, when a half-batch reactor is used instead of a multi-tube fixed-bed reactor, a larger heat transfer area is required compared to heat exchange in a multi-tube reactor. As a result, supplying thermal energy for the endothermic reaction can become difficult. Thus, the conventional technology still has room for consideration regarding practical problems when using highly active powder catalysts in endothermic reactions in chemical heat pumps on an industrial scale.

[0005] One aspect of the present invention aims to provide a chemical heat pump capable of suppressing pressure loss using a powder catalyst. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To solve the above problems, the present invention has the following embodiments.

[0007] [1] A chemical heat pump comprising: an endothermic reactor for decomposing raw material components into their decomposed components by an endothermic reaction in the presence of a first catalyst, to which first thermal energy is supplied from an external source; a separation device for separating the decomposed components from the raw material components and decomposed components discharged from the endothermic reactor; and an exothermic reactor for generating the raw material components from the decomposed components and generating second thermal energy higher than the first thermal energy by an exothermic reaction in the presence of a second catalyst, to which the decomposed components discharged from the separation device are supplied, wherein the raw material components generated in the exothermic reactor are supplied to the endothermic reactor, the first catalyst being a powder catalyst, and further comprising a powder catalyst supply device for supplying unused powder catalyst to the endothermic reactor.

[0008] [2] The chemical heat pump according to [1], wherein the raw material component is isopropyl alcohol and the decomposition component is acetone and hydrogen.

[0009] [3] The chemical heat pump according to [1] or [2], wherein a suspension containing the raw material components and the powder catalyst is supplied to the endothermic reaction apparatus, and the concentration of the powder catalyst in the suspension is 1 to 30% by mass.

[0010] [4] A chemical heat pump according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein a suspension containing the raw material components and the powder catalyst is supplied to the endothermic reaction apparatus, and the flow rate of the suspension is 0.5 to 8 m / sec.

[0011] [5] The chemical heat pump according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the powder catalyst is a powder catalyst containing nickel or ruthenium.

[0012] [6] The chemical heat pump according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein the powder catalyst is sponge nickel.

[0013] [7] The chemical heat pump according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein the powder catalyst is a carbon-supported ruthenium catalyst containing activated carbon powder and ruthenium supported thereon. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to suppress pressure loss in a chemical heat pump using a powder catalyst. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This figure schematically shows an example of the configuration of a chemical heat pump according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] As an embodiment of the present invention, an isopropyl alcohol, acetone, and hydrogen reaction system (also referred to as "isopropyl alcohol / acetone, hydrogen reaction system") chemical heat pump will be described. In this embodiment, the raw material component is isopropyl alcohol, and the decomposition components are acetone and hydrogen.

[0017] [Device Configuration] As shown in Figure 1, the chemical heat pump 1 includes an endothermic reactor 10, a separation device 20, an exothermic reactor 30, and a powder catalyst supply device 40.

[0018] The endothermic reaction apparatus 10 is an apparatus that is supplied with first thermal energy from the outside and decomposes isopropyl alcohol into acetone and hydrogen through an endothermic reaction in the presence of a first catalyst.

[0019] In the present embodiment, the endothermic reaction apparatus 10 is an endothermic reactor. The endothermic reactor includes a shell and a plurality of tubes penetrating through the inside and outside of the shell. The interior of the shell is a flow path for a heating medium, and the tubes are flow paths for raw material components and decomposition components thereof.

[0020] First thermal energy Q is supplied to the endothermic reaction apparatus 10 L . For example, the first thermal energy only needs to be thermal energy that enables the endothermic reaction in the endothermic reaction apparatus 10, and may be, for example, waste heat from an external facility. Regarding the waste heat from the external facility, a medium itself containing waste heat such as exhaust gas from the external facility may be supplied as the heating medium for the endothermic reaction apparatus 10, or may be supplied to the endothermic reaction apparatus 10 via a heating medium circulating between the waste heat section of the external facility and the endothermic reaction apparatus 10. A heating medium having the first thermal energy Q L is supplied to the aforementioned shell and discharged from the shell, whereby the first thermal energy Q L is supplied to the endothermic reaction apparatus 10.

[0021] In the present embodiment, the first catalyst is a powder catalyst. The powder catalyst is a particulate catalyst having a particle size on the micron order (for example, 10 to 50 μm) in terms of volume-based median diameter. The first catalyst will be described later.

[0022] The separation apparatus 20 is an apparatus for separating decomposition components from the raw material components and decomposition components discharged from the endothermic reaction apparatus 10.

[0023] In this embodiment, the separation apparatus 20 is a distillation column. The components discharged from the endothermic reactor 10 are a slurry-like fluid containing acetone and hydrogen produced by the decomposition of isopropyl alcohol, unreacted isopropyl alcohol, and a powdered catalyst. The distillation column only needs to have the capacity to distill off the decomposed components, and may be, for example, a tray column or a packed column. The packing material of the packed column may be ordered packing or irregular packing.

[0024] A pipe 13 extending to the bottom of the distillation column is connected to the outlet of the endothermic reactor 10. At the bottom of the distillation column, a pipe 11 extending to the inlet of the endothermic reactor 10 is connected. A slurry pump 12 is located in the pipe 11.

[0025] A pipe 23 extending to a reflux tank 22 via a condenser 21 is connected to the top of the distillation column. The reflux tank 22 is configured to contain the liquid components generated in the condenser 21. A pipe 24 extending into the interior of the distillation column is connected to the bottom of the reflux tank 22 to return the liquid components to the distillation column. A pipe 25 extending to the inlet of the exothermic reaction unit 30 is connected to the top of the reflux tank 22.

[0026] A blower 26 and a heat exchanger 27 are arranged in piping 25. The heat exchanger 27 is, for example, a plate heat exchanger having two flow paths that share a plate. One flow path in the heat exchanger 27 is included in piping 25 leading to the exothermic reaction device 30, and the other flow path is included in piping 32, which will be described later. Piping 32 is connected to the outlet of the exothermic reaction device 30.

[0027] The exothermic reaction apparatus 30 is supplied with decomposed components discharged from the separation apparatus 20 and generates the aforementioned raw material components from these decomposed components through an exothermic reaction in the presence of a second catalyst, while also generating a second thermal energy higher than the first thermal energy. The exothermic reaction apparatus 30 is, for example, a multi-tube reactor. The shell of the multi-tube reactor is a flow path for the heat transfer medium. The tubes have, for example, a fixed bed filled with particulate second catalyst and are flow paths for the decomposed components.

[0028] The second catalyst is a catalyst that generates the raw material components (isopropyl alcohol) from the decomposition components (acetone and hydrogen) through an exothermic reaction. Furthermore, the second catalyst utilizes the first thermal energy (exhaust heat Q from external equipment). L This catalyst generates a second thermal energy at a higher temperature than the first catalyst. The second catalyst can be appropriately determined within a range that satisfies these conditions. In this embodiment, it may be a granular catalyst made of sponge metal. The granular catalyst is a particulate catalyst having a particle size on the order of millimeters (e.g., 3-7 mm) in volume-based median diameter.

[0029] A pipe 32 extending to a separator 31 is connected to the outlet of the exothermic reaction device 30 via a heat exchanger 27. The separator 31 is a device for separating the product components (isopropyl alcohol) and unreacted components (acetone and hydrogen) in the exothermic reaction device 30, and may be, for example, a gas-liquid separator without internal components and requiring an open volume, a gas-liquid separator with a demister inside, or a surface tension type gas-liquid separator. A surface tension type gas-liquid separator has fine bellows-like grooves inside, and separates the liquid components from the gaseous components of the fluid by allowing the fluid to flow along these grooves.

[0030] Separator 31 is connected to pipes 33 and 34. Pipe 33 is for supplying the product components from the exothermic reactor 30 to the separation unit 20 and extends from separator 31 to the inside of the distillation column. Pipe 34 is for returning unreacted components from the exothermic reactor 30 to the exothermic reactor 30 and extends from separator 31, joining pipe 25 between reflux tank 22 and blower 26.

[0031] As described above, the outlet of the exothermic reaction device 30 is connected to the separation device 20 by pipes 32 and 33, and as previously stated, the separation device 20 is connected to the inlet of the endothermic reaction device 10 by pipe. Thus, this embodiment is configured so that the raw material components generated in the exothermic reaction device 30 are supplied to the endothermic reaction device 10.

[0032] The powder catalyst supply device 40 is a device for supplying unused powder catalyst, which is the first catalyst, to the endothermic reaction apparatus. For example, the powder catalyst supply device 40 may consist of a tank containing a suspension in which the unused powder catalyst is the dispersed phase and the raw material component (isopropyl alcohol) is the dispersion medium, and a stirring device for stirring the suspension. A pipe 41 extending into the interior of the bottom of the distillation column is connected to the bottom of the tank.

[0033] Furthermore, pipes 13 and 41 are both pipes that supply a suspension containing dispersed powder catalyst into the distillation column, and both extend to the bottom of the column. Therefore, the suspension in these pipes is supplied into the bottom liquid of the distillation column. In this way, the chemical heat pump 1 is configured so that a suspension containing powder catalyst is supplied into the liquid in the separation unit 20 (the bottom liquid of the distillation column).

[0034] [Powdered catalyst] In this embodiment, the first catalyst is a powder catalyst. The powder catalyst in this embodiment can be appropriately selected within a range in which it is possible to generate decomposition components from the raw material components by the thermal energy supplied during the endothermic reaction. Furthermore, the powder catalyst can be appropriately selected depending on the raw material components and their decomposition components. For example, in this embodiment (where the raw material component is isopropyl alcohol and the decomposition components are acetone and hydrogen), from the viewpoint of activity, the powder catalyst is preferably a powder catalyst containing nickel or ruthenium.

[0035] Examples of nickel-containing powder catalysts include sponge nickel. The powder catalyst being sponge nickel is preferable from the viewpoint of activity.

[0036] Examples of powder catalysts containing ruthenium include carbon-supported ruthenium catalysts. In this embodiment, the "carbon-supported ruthenium catalyst" is a carbon-supported ruthenium catalyst containing activated carbon powder and ruthenium supported thereon. Ruthenium is lighter than nickel and has higher activity as a powder catalyst than nickel, making it preferable from the viewpoint of achieving high yields with small amounts in endothermic reactions.

[0037] The endothermic reactor 10 is supplied with a suspension containing the raw material components and the powder catalyst. Supplying the raw material components and the powder catalyst to the endothermic reactor 10 as such a suspension is preferable from the viewpoint of exhibiting high activity by the powder catalyst and from the viewpoint of suppressing the increase in pressure loss caused by the powder catalyst.

[0038] The concentration of the powder catalyst in the suspension supplied to the endothermic reactor 10 (slurry concentration) can be appropriately determined within a range that allows sufficient activity to be obtained in the endothermic reaction in the endothermic reactor 10. Therefore, the slurry concentration can be appropriately determined according to the raw material components, their decomposition components, and the level of activity of the powder catalyst in the decomposition reaction. If the slurry concentration is too low, the activity of the powder catalyst in the endothermic reaction in the endothermic reactor 10 may be insufficient. Therefore, from the viewpoint of allowing sufficient activity of the powder catalyst in the endothermic reaction, the concentration of the powder catalyst in the suspension is preferably 1% by mass or more, more preferably 5% by mass or more, and even more preferably 8% by mass or more.

[0039] The upper limit of the slurry concentration of the suspension can be determined according to the liquid delivery capacity of the slurry pump 12. From the above viewpoint, the concentration of the powder catalyst in the suspension is preferably 30% by mass or less, more preferably 20% by mass or less, and even more preferably 15% by mass or less, from the viewpoint of preventing sedimentation of the powder catalyst in the suspension and suppressing erosion by the powder catalyst.

[0040] [Explanation of operating status] A suspension of isopropyl alcohol and a powder catalyst, for example, 5% Ru / C, is supplied from the powder catalyst supply device 40 to the separation device 20. 5% Ru / C is a catalyst in which ruthenium is supported on activated carbon powder, and contains 5% by mass of ruthenium per unit of carbon mass. The concentration of the powder catalyst in the suspension is, for example, 5% by mass.

[0041] Furthermore, the endothermic reaction apparatus 10 is supplied with a heat transfer medium that is heated by the waste heat of external equipment, and heat Q L This is supplied to the endothermic reactor 10. Examples of waste heat from external equipment include exhaust heat from an incinerator, waste hot water from a boiler, and waste heat from the top of a distillation equipment column.

[0042] Furthermore, the slurry pump 12 operates, and the suspension is supplied to the endothermic reactor 10. If the flow rate of the suspension at this time is too slow, stagnation of the powder catalyst may occur, and if it is too fast, erosion may occur. From the viewpoint of preventing stagnation of the powder catalyst in the chemical heat pump 1, the flow rate of the suspension is preferably 0.5 m / sec or more, more preferably 1 m / sec or more, and even more preferably 2 m / sec or more. Also, from the viewpoint of suppressing the occurrence of erosion by the powder catalyst, the flow rate of the suspension is preferably 8 m / sec or less, more preferably 4 m / sec or less, and even more preferably 2 m / sec or less. Note that the flow rate of the suspension can be appropriately set by slurry erosion evaluation using computational fluid dynamics (CFD).

[0043] A suspension of 5% by mass of isopropyl alcohol powder catalyst is continuously supplied to the endothermic reactor 10 and heated to, for example, 70-80°C by the heat transfer medium. As a result, a portion of the isopropyl alcohol is decomposed into acetone and hydrogen. The suspension after the decomposition reaction, containing isopropyl alcohol, acetone, hydrogen, and powder catalyst, is supplied to the separation device 20 via piping 13.

[0044] The suspension after the decomposition reaction is heated in the endothermic reactor 10. The acetone and hydrogen in the suspension are distilled out from the separation unit 20 (top of the distillation column), and the isopropyl alcohol and powder catalyst in the suspension are sent from the separation unit 20 to the endothermic reactor 10, circulating between the two. In this way, the slurry of unreacted components and powder catalyst heated in the endothermic reactor 10 is circulated to the separation unit 20, so the endothermic reactor 10 also serves as the reboiler for the distillation column, which is the separation unit 20. Thus, the generation of decomposed components in the endothermic reactor 10 and the separation of these decomposed components by the separation unit 20 are carried out continuously.

[0045] The acetone and hydrogen distilled from the separation unit 20 are cooled in the condenser 21 and supplied to the reflux tank 22. The liquid component contained in the reflux tank 22 is mainly isopropyl alcohol distilled in the separation unit 20 along with acetone and hydrogen. The gaseous component contained in the reflux tank 22 is mainly acetone and hydrogen. The liquid component contained in the reflux tank 22 is returned to the separation unit 20 and used for the absorption of raw material components from the decomposed components and for the generation of decomposed components in the endothermic reaction unit 10.

[0046] The gaseous components contained in the reflux tank 22 are sent through the piping 25 to the heat exchanger 27 by the blower 26, where they exchange heat with the product gas of the exothermic reaction described later, are heated, and then supplied to the exothermic reaction apparatus 30. Meanwhile, a heat transfer medium circulates in the exothermic reaction apparatus 30.

[0047] A portion of the acetone and hydrogen supplied to the exothermic reaction apparatus 30 reacts with the catalyst in the exothermic reaction apparatus 30, generating heat and producing isopropyl alcohol. The heat Q generated in this reaction H The heat is absorbed by the heat transfer medium circulating in the exothermic reaction apparatus 30, and the temperature of the heat transfer medium is heated to, for example, 150 to 200°C.

[0048] The isopropyl alcohol produced in the exothermic reaction device 30 is discharged from the exothermic reaction device 30 along with unreacted acetone and hydrogen, and supplied to the heat exchanger 27 through the piping 32. The gas supplied to the heat exchanger 27 after the exothermic reaction exchanges heat with the aforementioned gaseous components that were supplied to the exothermic reaction device 30, heating the gaseous components and also being cooled by the gaseous components.

[0049] The gas after the exothermic reaction is further supplied to the separator 31 through piping 32. In the separator 31, the isopropyl alcohol in the gas after the exothermic reaction is liquefied and returned to the separation device 20 through piping 33, becoming a raw material component for the endothermic reaction in the endothermic reaction device 10. The gaseous components such as acetone and hydrogen in the gas after the exothermic reaction are returned to piping 25 through piping 34, and together with the aforementioned decomposition components, are used for the exothermic reaction in the exothermic reaction device 30.

[0050] As described above, in the chemical heat pump 1, heat Q supplied to the endothermic reaction apparatus 10 L enables continuous implementation of: generation of acetone and hydrogen through endothermic decomposition reaction of isopropyl alcohol, and generation of isopropyl alcohol through exothermic reaction of these decomposition components. As a result, heat Q L of thermal energy at a higher temperature than the aforementioned heat Q H is continuously generated.

[0051] [Main Functions and Effects] The chemical heat pump 1 includes an endothermic reaction apparatus 10, a separation apparatus 20, an exothermic reaction apparatus 30, and a powder catalyst supply apparatus 40, and uses a powder catalyst as the catalyst in the endothermic reaction apparatus. Therefore, the powder catalyst can be handled in a slurry state, and pressure loss can be sufficiently reduced compared to the case where the catalyst is used as a fixed bed. Accordingly, the powder catalyst can be efficiently utilized in the endothermic reaction in the endothermic reaction apparatus 10 without requiring special equipment such as high-pressure specifications. As described above, in the chemical heat pump 1, while exhibiting the high activity unique to the powder catalyst, the pump capacity and the design pressure of the reactor can be set to mild conditions compared to the case where the powder catalyst is formed into a fixed bed.

[0052] The chemical heat pump 1 is particularly suitable for chemically reversible endothermic and exothermic reactions that use isopropyl alcohol as a raw material component and acetone and hydrogen as decomposition components. In this case, a powdery catalyst containing nickel or ruthenium is suitable for the powder catalyst; among these, sponge nickel or ruthenium-on-carbon catalyst is more preferable, and ruthenium-on-carbon catalyst is even more preferable.

[0053] In the chemical heat pump 1, the powder catalyst is preferably supplied in the form of a suspension with the raw material components as a dispersion medium, and the concentration of the powder catalyst in the suspension is preferably 1 to 15% by mass from the viewpoint of achieving sufficient catalytic activity and sufficient fluidity of the suspension. Furthermore, the flow rate of the suspension is preferably 0.5 to 8 m / sec from the viewpoint of sufficient fluidity of the suspension and prevention of erosion.

[0054] Furthermore, in the chemical heat pump 1, both the suspension of powder catalyst from the powder catalyst supply device 40 and the suspension containing the reaction product from the endothermic reactor 10 are supplied to the liquid in the separation device 20 (the bottom liquid of the distillation column) in the separation device 20. Therefore, it is preferable from the viewpoint of suppressing the scattering and adhesion of powder catalyst in the separation device 20 and suppressing the accumulation of powder catalyst in the separation device 20.

[0055] Furthermore, in the endothermic reactor 10, the suspension of raw material components and powder catalyst flows through the tubes of the multi-tube reactor to achieve the endothermic reaction. Therefore, it is possible to increase the efficiency of heat exchange in the endothermic reactor 10 compared to when a semi-batch reactor is used in the endothermic reactor 10. In addition, since the powder catalyst flows through the tubes, it is preferable from the viewpoint of preventing the accumulation of powder catalyst in the endothermic reactor 10.

[0056] Furthermore, in the chemical heat pump 1, unreacted acetone and hydrogen in the exothermic reactor 30 are separated from the reaction products of the exothermic reactor 30 by the separator 31. As a result, the amount of acetone and hydrogen that are to be separated in the separator 20 is reduced, and the decrease in the concentration of the raw material components supplied from the separator 20 to the endothermic reactor 10 is further suppressed. Thus, this configuration is preferable from the viewpoint of further reducing the separation load in the separator 20 (distillation column) and from the viewpoint of further improving the reaction efficiency in the endothermic reactor 10.

[0057] [Other Embodiments] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0058] For example, the reversible reaction system in the chemical heat pump of the present invention may be an isopropyl alcohol / acetone / hydrogen system, a methylcyclohexane / toluene / hydrogen system, or a cyclohexane / benzene / hydrogen system.

[0059] The powder catalyst may be a catalyst in which the catalytically effective components are supported on a carrier powder, as in the carbon-supported ruthenium catalyst mentioned above, or it may be a powder of the catalytically effective components themselves, as in the sponge nickel mentioned above. The carrier powder may be something other than activated carbon, and may be a powder of a metal oxide such as silica or alumina.

[0060] The endothermic reactor in the present invention may be appropriately selected from a range of reactors capable of supplying reaction heat while circulating a suspension of raw material components and powder catalyst. For example, it may be a plate reactor or a spiral reactor. These reactors are preferred from the viewpoint of increasing the heat exchange efficiency in the endothermic reaction.

[0061] The separation apparatus in the present invention may be appropriately determined according to the state of the raw material components and their decomposed components. For example, if the state of the raw material components and the state of the decomposed components is liquid and gas, a gas-liquid separation apparatus may be used in addition to the distillation column described above. If the state is gas, a gas adsorption apparatus capable of adsorbing and desorbing one of the gases or a membrane separation apparatus that allows the other gas to pass through may be used.

[0062] In the present invention, a flasher (evaporator) for evaporating the decomposed components may be used instead of the separator 31 described above. This embodiment is preferable from the viewpoint of further reducing the amount of unreacted components (decomposed components) in the reaction product of the exothermic reaction apparatus, further increasing the concentration of raw material components supplied to the separation apparatus, and improving the reaction efficiency in the endothermic reaction apparatus.

[0063] The location where the powder catalyst is supplied from the powder catalyst supply device can be appropriately determined within a range that ultimately ensures the raw material components are accompanied by the powder catalyst in the endothermic reactor. For example, it may be any position in the circulation channel spanning the endothermic reactor and the separation device, or it may be in the endothermic reactor itself.

[0064] Furthermore, the chemical heat pump of the present invention may further have a configuration for extracting the powder catalyst from a circulation channel spanning the endothermic reaction device and the separation device. For example, the chemical heat pump of the present invention may have an openable and closable nozzle branching off from a pipe connecting the separation device and the endothermic reaction device, or it may have a bypass pipe attached to the pipe and a solid-liquid separation device interposed in the bypass pipe. The former is preferable from the viewpoint of achieving powder catalyst extraction with a simple configuration. The latter is preferable from the viewpoint of enabling partial extraction of the powder catalyst while the chemical heat pump is in operation.

[0065] Furthermore, in the present invention, two exothermic reaction devices may be arranged in parallel and switchably. This embodiment is preferable from the viewpoint of achieving both continuous operation of the chemical heat pump and replacement of the catalyst in the exothermic reaction device.

[0066] The heat source for the endothermic reaction in the endothermic reaction apparatus of the present invention may be appropriately determined within a range that can supply the amount of heat required for the endothermic reaction. Examples of such heat sources include exhaust heat from an incinerator, waste hot water from a boiler, and waste heat from manufacturing equipment. According to the present invention, it is possible to effectively utilize the waste heat from such various facilities. Furthermore, the heat generated by the exothermic reaction in the exothermic reaction apparatus of the present invention may be used for an appropriate purpose according to the amount of heat. For example, the heat generated by the exothermic reaction can be suitably used for steam generation.

[0067] The chemical heat pump of the present invention described above can effectively utilize waste heat from external equipment, achieve high activity through the use of a powder catalyst, and can be operated under mild conditions with virtually no pressure loss due to the powder catalyst. The present invention, which can provide a chemical heat pump that exhibits such effects, is expected to contribute to achieving goals such as Goal 7 of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), "Affordable and Clean Energy." [Explanation of Symbols]

[0068] 1. Chemical heat pump 10 Endothermic Reactor 11, 13, 23-25, 32, 33, 41 Piping 12 Slurry pump 20 Separation device 21 Capacitors 22 Reflux tank 26 Blower 27 Heat exchanger 30 Exothermic reaction apparatus 31 Separator 40 Powder catalyst supply device

Claims

1. An endothermic reactor for supplying first thermal energy and for decomposing raw material components into their decomposed components through an endothermic reaction in the presence of a first catalyst, A separation device for separating the decomposed components from the raw material components and decomposed components discharged from the endothermic reaction apparatus, An exothermic reaction apparatus is provided to receive the decomposition components discharged from the separation apparatus and to generate the raw material components from the decomposition components by an exothermic reaction in the presence of a second catalyst, and to generate a second thermal energy higher than the first thermal energy, A chemical heat pump having a configuration such that the raw material components generated in the exothermic reaction device are supplied to the endothermic reaction device, The first catalyst is a powder catalyst, and A chemical heat pump further comprising a powder catalyst supply device for supplying unused powder catalyst to the endothermic reaction apparatus.

2. The chemical heat pump according to claim 1, wherein the raw material component is isopropyl alcohol and the decomposition component is acetone and hydrogen.

3. The endothermic reaction apparatus is supplied with a suspension containing the raw material components and the powdered catalyst. The chemical heat pump according to claim 1, wherein the concentration of the powder catalyst in the suspension is 1 to 30% by mass.

4. The endothermic reaction apparatus is supplied with a suspension containing the raw material components and the powdered catalyst. The chemical heat pump according to claim 1, wherein the flow velocity of the suspension is 0.5 to 8 m / sec.

5. The chemical heat pump according to claim 2, wherein the powder catalyst is a powdered catalyst containing nickel or ruthenium.

6. The chemical heat pump according to claim 5, wherein the powder catalyst is sponge nickel.

7. The chemical heat pump according to claim 5, wherein the powder catalyst is a carbon-supported ruthenium catalyst containing activated carbon powder and ruthenium supported thereon.

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