Small absorption heat exchanger

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an adsorption heat exchanger (AdHEX) component is provided, comprising a linear guide element and a plurality of flat plate-like structures including fins, each of which is attached to the linear guide element via a joint element configured to cooperate with the linear guide element to form a slider joint, coated with an adsorbent coating, and fixed to the linear guide element at respective positions by fixing means that limit the linear sliding movement of each of the flat plate-like structures, forming an arrangement of stacked coated flat plate-like structures along the linear guide element.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to adsorption heat exchanger parts, methods for manufacturing the same, and systems comprising such adsorption heat exchanger parts. In particular, this disclosure relates to an adsorption heat exchanger (AdHEX) part comprising a linear guiding element and a planar structure including fins, wherein the planar structure is coated with an adsorbent coating and attached to the linear guiding element. [Overview of the Initiative]

[0002] According to an aspect of the present invention, an adsorption heat exchanger (AdHEX) component is provided. The AdHEX component comprises a linear guide element and a plurality of plate-like structures including fins. Each of the plate-like structures is attached to the linear guide element via a joint element configured to cooperate with the linear guide element to form a slider joint, is coated with an adsorbent coating, and is fixed to the linear guide element at each position by fixing means that restrict the linear sliding movement of each of the plate-like structures, thereby forming an arrangement of coated plate-like structures stacked along the linear guide element.

[0003] The aforementioned AdHEX component design allows for the first coating of the plate-like structures with an adsorbent coating, and then bringing them close together along linear guide elements (by slider joints), achieving smaller gaps than would normally be possible through the coating process. This enables the arrangement of smaller plate-like fins with a high heat transfer coefficient. Therefore, this AdHEX design and its fabrication method allows for smaller gaps between plate-like structures, resulting in favorable performance in terms of power and energy density. In particular, the proposed design enables substantially high performance in terms of the product of adsorption cooling force and energy per unit volume (of the adsorber medium).

[0004] The present invention preferably provides an adsorption heat exchanger component in which the average gap between each pair of continuous plate-like structures among the fixed plate-like structures is 500 to 900 μm. Such a gap cannot be achieved by the methods of the prior art as described in the background paragraph. The plate-like structures are preferably formed essentially as discs. The average thickness of the coated plate-like structures is preferably 300 to 700 μm. In a preferred embodiment, the average thickness of the adsorbent coating is 60 to 180 μm. Note that the gap between the coated plate-like structures, the thickness of the coated plate-like structures, and the thickness of the adsorbent coating are each measured along the average direction or local portion of the linear guide element.

[0005] The present invention preferably provides an adsorption heat exchanger component in which the linear guide element has a cylindrical shape with an average outer diameter of 0.8 to 1.2 cm. More preferably, the linear guide element is a hollow tube with an average axial thickness of 350 to 450 μm. The outer diameter of the cylindrical shape is measured perpendicular to the average direction of the linear guide element. The axial thickness of the tube is measured radially in a plane perpendicular to the average direction.

[0006] The present invention preferably provides adsorption heat exchanger components in which the adsorbent coating comprises micropore zeolite. In one embodiment, the adsorbent coating is (SiO2) x (Al2O3) y (P2O5) z Includes.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present invention, an AdHEX system comprising one or more of the aforementioned AdHEX components is provided.

[0008] The present invention preferably provides an AdHEX system comprising one or more temperature swing separation columns, each containing one or more of the aforementioned AdHEX components.

[0009] The present invention preferably provides an AdHEX system comprising two or more of the temperature swing separation columns, wherein one of the columns is connected to another. In these embodiments, the system is configured to drive one column with waste heat from another column connected to the first column. The system may be configured to separate carbon dioxide from one or more other gases.

[0010] The present invention preferably provides an AdHEX system further comprising a power plant, wherein the system's columns are configured to be driven by waste heat from the power plant.

[0011] Another aspect of the present invention provides a method for manufacturing an AdHEX component. The method includes providing a linear guide element and a plurality of plate-like structures, each having fins; coating the fins with an adsorbent coating; and moving the plate-like structures to desired positions by sliding them along the linear guide element to reduce the average gap between each pair of consecutive plate-like structures, wherein each plate-like structure is attached to the linear guide element via a connecting element configured to cooperate with the linear guide element to form its respective slider joint; and fixing the plate-like structures to the linear guide element to restrict the linear sliding movement of the plate-like structures and to form an arrangement of fixed, coated plate-like structures stacked along the linear guide element.

[0012] Therefore, the plate-like structures can be slid along the linear guide elements to reduce the average gap between each pair of consecutive plate-like structures. Finally, the plate-like structures are fixed to the linear guide elements to prevent linear sliding movement of the plate-like structures regardless of the slider joint. Ultimately, an arrangement is formed that includes fixed, covered plate-like structures stacked along the linear guide elements.

[0013] The present invention preferably provides a method further comprising attaching the plate-like structures to elongated elements via their respective connecting elements before coating the fins of the plate-like structures, and positioning the plate-like structures at a first position along the elongated elements to ensure a minimum gap between each pair of continuous plate-like structures. In addition, the fins of the plate-like structures are coated by first positioning the elongated elements substantially parallel to a liquid containing an adsorbent coating, thereby immersing a portion of each of the plate-like structures in the liquid, and then rotating the elongated elements to impregnate the fins of the plate-like structures with the adsorbent coating. Once coated, the plate-like structures can be attached to linear guide elements (when the linear guide elements are separate from the elongated elements) and slid along the linear guide elements to reduce the gaps between the plate-like structures.

[0014] The present invention preferably provides a method in which the liquid is a liquid suspension containing adsorbent coating particles and a binder. In this case, a plate-like structure can be coated by binding the particles to fins with the binder. The particles may include micropore zeolites as described herein.

[0015] The present invention preferably provides a method in which the liquid is a reactive liquid mixture that supports the synthesis of an adsorption layer on a fin. In this case, the plate-shaped structure is coated by reacting the reactive liquid mixture with the fin to form the adsorbent coating.

[0016] The present invention preferably provides a method for moving a flat plate-shaped structure to the desired position after coating, thereby reducing the average gap measured along the average direction of the linear guide elements to, for example, a value of 500 to 900 μm.

[0017] The present invention preferably provides a method for fixing a flat plate-shaped structure to a hollow tube linear guide element by hydraulic expansion of the tube. In one embodiment, the flat plate-shaped structure is fixed to the linear guide element by mechanical swaging. In another embodiment, the flat plate-shaped structure is fixed to the linear guide element by soldering the flat plate-shaped structure to the linear guide element. For example, the linear guide element can be covered with solder, and the flat plate-shaped structure can be fixed to the linear guide element by soldering the flat plate-shaped structure to the linear guide element.

[0018] In the following, with reference to the attached drawings, adsorption heat exchanger components, methods for manufacturing them, and embodiments of systems incorporating such AdHEX components will be described as non-limiting examples.

[0019] The above summary is not intended to describe any of the illustrated embodiments or all implementations of this disclosure.

[0020] Like reference numerals refer to the same or functionally similar elements throughout the separate drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of this specification together with the following detailed description. The accompanying drawings, which further illustrate various embodiments, serve to explain various principles and advantages of all by this disclosure.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021] [Figure 1A] A three-dimensional view of a flat structure (including fins) attached to an elongated element before impregnating the fins of the flat structure with an adsorbent coating according to an embodiment of a method of fabricating a component. [Figure 1B] A side view of the flat structure shown in FIG. 1A. [Figure 2] A side view showing a method by which the fins of the flat structure of FIG. 1A can be impregnated with an adsorbent coating according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] A side view showing a method by which the fins of the flat structure of FIG. 1A can be impregnated with an adsorbent coating according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] A side view showing a method by which the fins of the flat structure of FIG. 1A can be impregnated with an adsorbent coating according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] A three-dimensional view of the coated flat structure still attached to the elongated element, showing an embodiment. [Figure 6] A three-dimensional view of the flat structure showing a method of attaching the impregnated flat structure to a linear guide element (here assumed to be separate from the elongated element of FIG. 5), and then moving the flat structure to a desired position by sliding the flat structure along the linear guide element to form a compact arrangement of stacked coated flat structures according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] A schematic side view of an AdHEX component according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] A schematic side view of an AdHEX component according to an embodiment. [Figure 9]This is a schematic side view of an AdHEX component according to one embodiment. [Figure 10] This is a schematic side view of an AdHEX component according to one embodiment. [Figure 11] This is a photograph of an AdHEX component typically obtained by a certain embodiment. [Figure 12] This is another photograph of the AdHEX component in Figure 11, according to one embodiment, where the background of the photograph shows the relevant AdHEX component, allowing for a comparison of the density of each fin structure. [Figure 13] This figure shows a system comprising several temperature swing separation columns according to an embodiment. [Figure 14] This flowchart shows the high-level steps of a method for manufacturing AdHEX parts according to an embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0022] The attached drawings are simplified representations of the devices or components included in the embodiments. The technical features shown in the drawings are not to scale. In fact, for teaching purposes, some dimensions and aspect ratios have been intentionally exaggerated. Unless otherwise indicated, similar or functionally similar elements in the drawings are given the same reference numerals. Note that all references "Sij" refer to the steps in the method for creating the flowchart in Figure 14, and the reference numerals relate to the physical parts or components of the device and system.

[0023] Some methods for fabricating AdHEX components may require a minimum separation (spacing) between consecutive plate-like fins. In such fabrication methods, attempts to reduce the gaps between the plate-like fins typically result in the coating suspension forming capillary bridges between adjacent fins, which are then eventually blocked by the adsorbent coating after drying. These blocked gaps substantially reduce the mass transport rate, thus degrading the performance of the AdHEX. Smaller gaps may also prevent the coating suspension from penetrating the gaps between the fins when coating them, in which case no effective adsorption layer can be formed on the AdHEX at all.

[0024] Referring to Figures 1 to 12, an embodiment of one aspect of the adsorption heat exchanger components will be described first. As previously stated, in this disclosure, "adsorption heat exchanger" will be abbreviated as "AdHEX".

[0025] As shown in Figure 1, the component 105 comprises a linear guide element 140 (see Figure 6) and a plurality of flat plate-like structures 110. In one embodiment, each flat plate-like structure is essentially formed as a disc. Each of the flat plate-like structures also includes (or forms) a fin 120. Thus, such flat plate-like structures themselves may be called flat fins.

[0026] Fins are surfaces or surface elements designed, formed, and dimensioned to increase the heat transfer coefficient of a plate-like structure to and from the environment. Fins can extend from the plate-like structure, or form a pattern in some way within or on the plate-like structure, or both, as is known in itself. Such fins are intended to enhance the effectiveness of the plate-like structure 110. Fins may optionally be formed as punched fins or corrugated fins. Fins may be configured, in particular, as in known designs of plate-fin heat exchangers, for example, as rectangular fins, corrugated fins, offset strip fins, or louvered fins, or they may be designed as flat fins, herringbone fins, or sawtooth and porous fins. The structure / fins are preferably formed from aluminum, but other materials (e.g., metals) are also possible, as is known in itself.

[0027] In one embodiment, each of the plate-shaped structures 110 is coated with an adsorbent coating 250 (see Figure 4). To enhance performance, the adsorbent coating is made of micropore zeolite, such as (SiO2), in the form of so-called SAPO-34 compounds. x (Al2O3) y (P2O5) z It can include...

[0028] Next, referring to Figure 1B, the plate-like structure 110 includes a connecting element 150 (i.e., a hole in this case) designed to cooperate with the elongated element in Figure 1A to form a slider joint, thereby allowing the plate-like structures to be attached to the elongated element to ensure a minimum gap between them (see Figures 1A and 2-5). Each plate-like structure 110 is attached to the linear guide element 140 (see Figure 6) via the connecting element 150 (see Figure 1B). The connecting element 150 is designed to cooperate with the linear guide element 140 (or any similarly shaped elongated element 130 as shown in Figure 1A) to form a slider joint (i.e., including the linear guide element 140 and the connecting element 150). The purpose of the linear guide element 140 is to cooperate with the connecting element 150, which is designed to correspond to the plate-like structure 110, to form a linear slider.

[0029] For example, as shown in Figure 1B, the joint element 150 may simply be a plain bearing (i.e., a hole) provided in the flat plate structure 110 (for example, generally formed as a disc). The slider joint (i.e., including the linear guide element 140 and the joint element 150) may be called a prismatic joint. The linear guide element 140 may be a shaft that makes the flat plate structure 110 slidable a priori along the axis of the linear guide element 140, i.e., a spindle, tube, or any other elongated member (which may be structured).

[0030] However, in this case, each flat plate structure 110 is fixed to the linear guide element 140 at its respective position at the end of the manufacturing process. Each flat plate structure 110 is fixed in place by fixing means 160a, 160b (see Figure 8), and fixing means 160a, 160b ultimately prevent each flat plate structure 110 from sliding linearly, regardless of the slider joint (i.e., the combination of the linear guide element 140 and the joint element 150). Several types of fixing means are possible, as will be described in detail later (for example, by hydraulic expansion of the linear guide element, by mechanical crimping, or by soldering the flat plate structure to the guide element).

[0031] Therefore, the AdHEX components are stacked along the linear guide elements 140, forming the arrangement of the covered structures 110 fixed to the linear guide elements 140. That is, the fixing means ultimately prevent the movement of the plate-like structures 110 along the linear guide elements 140, regardless of the slider joints 140, 150. That is, each of the joint elements 150 is configured to cooperate with the linear guide elements to initially form the slider joints 140, 150, but the plate-like structures 110 are ultimately fixed to the linear guide elements (after covering) and thus blocked in their respective positions. In other words, each plate-like structure 110 could slide along the linear guide elements if it were not fixed to them by the fixing means 160a, 160b.

[0032] The design and manufacturing method of this embodiment allows for the production of small AdHEX components 105, 105a (see Figure 8), 105b (see Figure 9) of the fin structure 300 having a much lower density (see Figure 12, which also shows AdHEX components related to the background). The plate-like structures 110 may be initially attached to the elongated elements 130 and spaced relatively large apart (Figures 1-5) so that they can be easily coated with the adsorbent coating 250 (see Figures 3-4). The coated plate-like structures 110, 250 are then attached to the linear guide elements 140 and, once fixed in place in the first location, may be brought close to each other, i.e., closer than possible by the coating process (see Figure 6). Finally, as shown in Figures 8, 9, and 11, the coated structures 110, 250 may be fixed along the axis of the linear guide elements 140. This is made possible by the plate-like structures 110 being first movably attached along the linear guide elements 140 and then fixed in place. In other words, the proposed design allows the flat structures 110 to be first coated with an adsorbent coating 250 and then brought close together to achieve smaller gaps than would normally be possible through the coating process.

[0033] Thus, the gaps that can ultimately be achieved between the plate-like structures 110 can be narrower than those achievable by conventional fabrication methods. Conventional fabrication methods typically require a minimum separation of at least 1.2 mm to allow sufficient application of the adsorbent coating 250 to the fins. Related methods can make achieving smaller gaps extremely difficult. For example, as mentioned above, attempts to achieve smaller gaps may result in the formation of capillary bridges between adjacent plate-like structures 110, causing the gaps to be eventually blocked by the dried adsorbent. Blocked gaps substantially reduce the mass transport rate, thus degrading the performance of the AdHEX component. Furthermore, smaller gaps may prevent liquid from penetrating the gaps between the fins, in which case no effective adsorption layer is obtained at all.

[0034] In contrast, this embodiment allows for a safe reduction in the gaps between the plate-like structures, thereby yielding smaller AdHEX components with favorable performance in terms of power and energy density. In particular, the proposed method can achieve high transport speed, higher power density, and therefore smaller volume and cost requirements for a given power target.

[0035] All of these features will be described in detail herein with reference to specific embodiments. First, preferred dimensions of the AdHEX component will be described below with reference to Figure 10, which schematically shows the AdHEX component 105.

[0036] The average gap between each pair of continuous coated plate-like structures 110, 250 is preferably 500 to 900 μm. For example, this average gap may be 650 to 820 μm. As assumed in Figure 10, this average gap is preferably about 740 μm. As previously mentioned, the depiction in the attached drawings is not to scale. This gap is measured in the (local) average direction of the linear guide element 140. Each gap is measured between two continuous structures 110, 250, taking into account the thickness of the adsorbent coating 250. The average direction may correspond to the average axis of the linear guide element 140, which is usually assumed to be parallel to axis z in Figures 7 to 10. Furthermore, the linear guide element may be shaped (and therefore not straight), in which case the average direction is measured locally along a portion of the linear guide element.

[0037] In the embodiment, the average thickness of the coated plate-like structures 110, 250 is 300 to 700 μm (taking into account the thickness of the adsorbent coating 250). For example, the average thickness of the coated plate-like structures 110, 250 may be 400 to 600 μm, for example, 500 μm as assumed in Figure 10. This thickness is measured along the average direction of the linear guide element 140, i.e., along axis z in the attached drawing.

[0038] The average thickness of one adsorbent coating 250 is preferably 60 to 180 μm, for example 100 to 140 μm, for example 120 μm as assumed in FIG. 10. This thickness is measured along the average direction of the linear guide element 140, i.e., along the axis z.

[0039] The linear guide element 140 preferably has a cylindrical shape to facilitate assembly with the flat structure 110. In that case, the joining element 150 may simply be a circular hole, but more advanced joints are also conceivable. The cylindrical shape can have an average outer diameter of, for example, 0.8 to 1.2 cm. This diameter may be, for example, about 1 cm as assumed in FIG. 10. The diameter of the cylindrical shape is measured perpendicular to the average direction of the linear guide element 140, i.e., in the plane (x, y) of the attached drawings. The average diameter of the flat structure is preferably 1.4 cm to 5 cm, more preferably less than 2.5 cm (for example, 1.7 cm) in order to maintain a sufficient heat transfer rate, but in principle it may be larger.

[0040] In one embodiment, the linear guide element 140 is a hollow tube having an average axial thickness of 350 to 450 μm. This thickness may be, for example, about 400 μm. It is preferable to use a metal (for example, aluminum) tube for advantageous heat transfer. The axial thickness of the tube is measured radially in the plane (x, y) of the attached drawings, perpendicular to the average direction of the linear guide element 140.

[0041] As described above, the adsorbent coating 250 preferably provides sufficient performance with respect to heat transfer by including microporous zeolite. However, in one embodiment, the adsorbent coating 250 is (SiO2) x (Al2O3) y (P2O5) zThe adsorbent coating 250 may include, for example, SAPO-34, which is a micropore zeolite, or may be composed of such a compound. Such a compound has absorption properties that are well suitable for the present purpose (e.g., for vacuum swing or temperature swing adsorption processes) and can therefore be advantageously used as an adsorption medium. In modified forms, other zeolites, carbon molecular sieves, metal-organic frameworks, microporous polymers, and amine-modified adsorbents can be used.

[0042] Referring to Figures 13 and 14, another embodiment of this AdHEX system 1 is described below. The system comprises at least one AdHEX component 105 as described above. However, in practice, the system can typically comprise several AdHEX components 105.

[0043] In one embodiment, as schematically shown in Figure 13, the system 1 comprises one or more temperature swing separation columns 10, each containing one or more AdHEX components as described above. In particular, the heat exchanger component 105 can be used in a temperature swing adsorption (TSA) system 1, which is designed to reduce cycle time by optimizing both mass and heat transport through hierarchical paths and to reduce column pressure drop through a preferred flow path.

[0044] In this embodiment, System 1 comprises two or more of the temperature swing separation columns 10, which are connected, and in particular, thermally connected. For example, one column can be connected to an adjacent column so that two columns are connected to each other. System 1 may be particularly configured to drive the connected columns with waste heat from the columns connected to them. That is, with a small temperature gradient made possible by this embodiment, the columns can be driven with waste heat from the column that adsorbs first.

[0045] In particular, System 1 may be configured to separate carbon dioxide from one or more other gases (e.g., nitrogen or other gases such as methane or carbon monoxide).

[0046] In one embodiment, System 1 includes a power plant 20. Here, as schematically shown in Figure 13, the system's column 10 is configured to be driven by waste heat from the power plant. System 1 may be driven solely by the power plant 20. For example, the system may be configured as a fast thermal swing adsorption (RTSA) system, where the RTSA carbon dioxide separator is driven by waste heat. Since the separation process can be driven entirely thermally by the power plant 20, the energy output does not decrease. This process can be applied to gas adsorption separation processes that require pressure or temperature-driven regeneration.

[0047] System 1 may be specifically designed to achieve approximately 10 times the mass flow rate and reduced cycle time compared to a standard TSA by improving the thermal contact between the driving heat and the adsorption medium. It is advantageous that the main flow path includes a structured adsorbent that reduces the pressure drop in the column. Furthermore, a small temperature gradient allows for optimized heat utilization by driving the desorption column using waste heat from the previously adsorbing column. In other words, the concepts of thermally driven pressure swing and temperature swing, on the one hand, and heating of water and gas, on the other hand, can be combined to further improve the rate and the capacity of column 10.

[0048] Referring to Figures 1 to 6 and Figure 14, another aspect of this embodiment of the method for manufacturing the AdHEX component 105 will be described in detail below. In operation S10, the method includes providing a linear guide element 140 and a plurality of flat plate-like structures 110, each having a fin 120, as described above.

[0049] According to this method, in operation S20, the fins 120 of the plate-shaped structure 110 are first coated with an adsorbent coating 250 (Figures 2-5), then dried in operation S30, and then in operation S40, the coated plate-shaped structures 110, 250 are slid along the linear guide elements 140 to move the plate-shaped structures 110 to the desired position and reduce the average gap between each pair of continuous plate-shaped structures (see Figure 6). As previously mentioned, this is made possible by the slider joints 140, 150. That is, each plate-shaped structure 110 is attached to the linear guide element 140 via its respective joint element 150, and the joint element 150 is designed to cooperate with the linear guide element 140 to form its respective slider joints 140, 150.

[0050] Once the flat plate structure 110 is positioned, it is fixed to the linear guide element 140 in operation S50, preventing linear sliding movement of the flat plate structure 110 regardless of the slider joints 140 and 150. Finally, a fixed arrangement of covered flat plate structures 110 and 250 is obtained, with the covered flat plate structures 110 and 250 stacked along the linear guide element 140. The resulting AdHEX components 105, 105a and 105b can then be used in the heat exchanger system described above in S60.

[0051] In one embodiment, during operation S20, the fins 120 of the plate-like structure 110 are coated by rotating the plate-like structure in a liquid using the elongated element 130. That is, the plate-like structure 110 is attached to the elongated element 130 via its respective connecting element 150 and then positioned at each of the first positions along the elongated element 130 to ensure a minimum gap (e.g., greater than 3 mm or 5 mm) between each pair of continuous plate-like structures 110, as shown in Figures 1A and 2. Next, as shown in Figure 3, the elongated element 130 is positioned substantially parallel to the liquid 200 (i.e., a solution, usually a slurry) containing the adsorbent coating so that a portion of each plate-like structure 110 is immersed in the liquid. Then, the elongated element 130 is rotated (see Figure 3) to apply the adsorbent coating 250 to the fins 120 of the plate-like structure 110, as shown in Figure 4.

[0052] It should be noted that Figures 1 to 4 assume that the elongated element is separate from the linear guide element 140. This elongated element 130 may be, for example, a rotating spindle that enables a slider joint mechanism similar to that described above with respect to element 140. The spindle (or elongated element 130) rests on the edge of a container containing slurry (or liquid 200) and is positioned to allow rotation (see Figure 3). However, in a modified form, the elongated element may actually be the linear guide element 140 already described above.

[0053] As mentioned above, liquid 200 is a micropore zeolite, for example, (SiO2) x (Al2O3) y (P2O5) z It is preferable that it includes a binder. In particular, the liquid 200 may be a liquid suspension containing a binder in addition to the adsorbent coating particles. In that case, in operation S30, the fins 120 of the plate-shaped structure 110 are coated with the binder so that the particles are bound to the fins 120.

[0054] In the modified form, the liquid is a reactive liquid mixture that supports the synthesis of an adsorbent layer on the fins 120. In this case, the fins 120 of the plate-like structure 110 are coated with the reactive liquid mixture so as to react with the fins 120 to form a desired adsorbent coating 250.

[0055] After the fins 120 of the structure 110 are properly covered in operation S30, the covered structures 110 and 250 are dried and then attached to the element 140 by the slider joint mechanism described above (see, for example, Figure 5). As further shown in Figure 6, the plate-shaped structure 110 is then moved to a desired position on the element 140 to reduce the average gap between the structures 110 and 250 to a value of, for example, 500 to 900 μm as described above.

[0056] Similarly, as mentioned above, the linear guide element 140 is preferably a hollow tube. In this case, as schematically shown in Figure 9, the flat plate structure 110 can be easily fixed to the tube by hydraulically expanding the tube in operation S50, where the diameter of a portion of the tube 160b is expanded to permanently fix the structure 110. Several hydraulic expansion mechanisms that can be appropriately used for this purpose are known in themselves.

[0057] In the modified configuration, the flat plate structure 110 may be fixed to the linear guide element 140 by mechanical riveting using cold or hot working, if necessary. By locally changing the dimensions of the pipe (or linear guide element) 140, the diameter of the portion (or fixing means 160a) that clamps the structure 110 is locally increased, and the structure 110 is blocked in a predetermined position, similar to that shown in Figure 8.

[0058] In other embodiments, the flat structure 110 may be fixed to the linear guide element 140 by soldering the flat structure 110 to the linear guide element 140. The coated structure 110 may be fixed by, for example, adding solder paste afterward. However, it is more practical to coat the linear guide element beforehand. That is, the linear guide element 140 can be coated with solder, and the flat structure 110 can be fixed to the linear guide element 140 by soldering the flat structure 110 to the linear guide element 140 with solder.

[0059] In a further embodiment, the relative positions of the covering structures 110, 250, as shown in Figure 8, can be fixed using a simple gasket (or fastening means 160a). If necessary, the outermost structures can be subsequently fixed using any suitable mechanism.

[0060] Although the above embodiment has been briefly described with reference to the attached drawings, the above embodiment can include several variations. Several combinations of the above features are possible. Examples are given below.

[0061] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the AdHEX component comprises at least one tubular section or linear guide element 140, with a disc-shaped fin or plate-shaped structure 110 positioned along the tubular section. By immersing the AdHEX assembly in a liquid suspension containing adsorbent particles and a binder, a layer of adsorbent material (e.g., SAPO-34) (adsorbent coating 250) is coated onto the fin or plate-shaped structure 110. The suspension adheres to the AdHEX and, upon drying, leaves a layer of adsorbent coating. In a modified embodiment, the AdHEX assembly of the tubular section and fin is immersed in a reactive liquid mixture that supports the synthesis of a direct adsorbent layer on the AdHEX, as described above.

[0062] This allows for smaller fin gaps, resulting in favorable performance in terms of power output and energy density. An adsorbent suspension with a high absorbent fraction can be used during the coating step, enabling the desired coating thickness (e.g., 400 μm to 600 μm) to be achieved in a single coating step. In contrast, conventional methods typically rely on lower viscosity suspensions to allow the suspension to penetrate the gaps between fins, resulting in a lower coating yield per immersion step. Consequently, multiple immersion steps are required to achieve the desired coating thickness, which is undesirable in terms of processing time and cost. A further advantage compared to conventional methods is that this technique allows for improved control of the adsorbent coating thickness by varying the fin rotation during the coating procedure (Figure 3).

[0063] To improve performance, the geometry can be optimized. The inventors determined the optimal range of components for the AdHEX component 105 by calculating the transport impedance at the interface between the adsorbent coating, aluminum fins, and the fins and the tube. That is,

[0064] The adsorption thickness is 60 μm to 180 μm.

[0065] The diameters of the flat fins 110 and 120 are 1.4 cm to 2.5 cm.

[0066] The fin thickness is 300 μm to 700 μm.

[0067] The gaps between the flat fins are 500 μm to 900 μm, which cannot be achieved by conventional methods.

[0068] The outer diameter of the tube is 0.8 cm to 1.2 cm.

[0069] The thickness of the tube is 350 μm to 450 μm.

[0070] Adopting these dimensions has proven particularly suitable for applications of adsorption cooling with desorption temperatures of approximately 75°C, condenser temperatures of approximately 30°C, and evaporator pressures of approximately 12.4 mbar, as is common in actual heat exchanger systems.

[0071] The performance under the above adsorption cooling conditions was calculated using a thermodynamic model. As a result, it is theoretically possible to achieve a 12-fold improvement in adsorption cooling power density.

[0072] The descriptions of the various embodiments of this disclosure are presented for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be exhaustive or limit the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the described embodiments. In particular, features (device-like or method-like) described in or shown in the drawings of a given embodiment or variation can be combined with or replaced with other features in another embodiment, variation, or drawing without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, various combinations of features described in relation to any of the above embodiments or variations are conceivable and fall within the scope of the appended claims. In addition, many minor modifications can be made to adapt the teachings of the invention to specific situations or materials without departing from the scope of the invention. The terms used herein have been selected to best describe the principles of the embodiments, the actual applications or technical improvements compared to the art found in the market, or to enable those skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. Adsorption heat exchanger component (105), Straight-line guidance element (140), Multiple flat plate-like structures (110) including fins and Equipped with, Each of the aforementioned flat plate-shaped structures is covered with an adsorbent coating (250), It is configured to cooperate with the linear guide element to form a slider joint, and is attached to the linear guide element by a joint element (150) formed on the fin and a fixing means (160a) that restricts the linear sliding movement of each of the flat plate-shaped structures. At each position, the connecting element (150) is fixed to the linear guide element (140) by the fixing means (160a) formed at the position where the dimensions of the linear guide element (140) have changed, thereby forming an arrangement of covered flat plate-shaped structures stacked along the linear guide element. The average gap between each pair of continuous flat plate structures among the fixed flat plate structures (110) is 500 to 900 μm, and the gap is measured along the average direction of the linear guide element. Adsorption heat exchanger part (105).

2. The adsorption heat exchanger component (105) according to claim 1, wherein the average thickness of the coated flat plate structure (110) is 300 to 700 μm, and the thickness is measured along the average direction of the linear guide element.

3. The adsorption heat exchanger component (105) according to claim 1, wherein the average thickness of the adsorbent coating is 60 to 180 μm, and the thickness is measured along the average direction of the linear guide element.

4. The adsorption heat exchanger component (105) according to claim 1, wherein the linear guide element has a cylindrical shape with an average outer diameter of 0.8 to 1.2 cm, and the outer diameter is measured perpendicular to the average direction of the linear guide element.

5. The linear guide element is a hollow tube having an average axial thickness of 350 to 450 μm. The adsorption heat exchanger component (105) according to claim 4, wherein the axial thickness is measured radially in a plane perpendicular to the average direction of the linear guide element.

6. The adsorption heat exchanger component (105) according to claim 1, wherein the adsorbent coating includes micropore zeolite.

7. The adsorbent coating is (SiO ２ ) ｘ (Al ２ O ３ ) ｙ (P ２ O ５ ) ｚ The adsorption heat exchanger component (105) according to claim 6, including the above.

8. The adsorption heat exchanger component (105) according to claim 1, wherein the flat plate-shaped structure is formed as a disc.

9. An adsorption heat exchanger system (1) comprising adsorption heat exchanger components, Each of the aforementioned adsorption heat exchanger components is Straight-line guidance element (140), Multiple flat plate-like structures (110) including fins and Equipped with, Each of the aforementioned flat plate-shaped structures is covered with an adsorbent coating (250), It is configured to cooperate with the linear guide element to form a slider joint, and is attached to the linear guide element by a joint element (150) formed on the fin and a fixing means (160a) that restricts the linear sliding movement of each of the flat plate-shaped structures. At each position, the connecting element (150) is fixed to the linear guide element (140) by the fixing means (160a) formed at the position where the dimensions of the linear guide element (140) have changed, thereby forming an arrangement of covered flat plate-shaped structures stacked along the linear guide element. The average gap between each pair of continuous flat plate structures among the fixed flat plate structures (110) is 500 to 900 μm, and the gap is measured along the average direction of the linear guide element. Adsorption heat exchanger system (1).

10. The adsorption heat exchanger system (1) according to claim 9, further comprising one or more temperature swing separation columns (10), each containing one or more of the adsorption heat exchanger components.

11. The adsorption heat exchanger system (1) comprises two or more of the temperature swing separation columns (10), and one of the temperature swing separation columns is connected to another of the temperature swing separation columns. The adsorption heat exchanger system (1) according to claim 10, wherein the adsorption heat exchanger system (1) is configured to drive one of the temperature swing separation columns with waste heat from the one of the temperature swing separation columns during operation.

12. The adsorption heat exchanger system (1) according to claim 9, wherein the adsorption heat exchanger system (1) is configured to separate carbon dioxide from one or more other gases.

13. The adsorption heat exchanger system (1) according to claim 10, wherein the adsorption heat exchanger system (1) further comprises a power plant (20), and the temperature swing separation column (10) of the adsorption heat exchanger system is configured to be driven by waste heat from the power plant.

14. A method for manufacturing an adsorption heat exchanger component (105), The system includes a linear guide element (140) and a plurality of flat plate-shaped structures (110) each having a fin. The fins are covered with an adsorbent coating (250), By sliding the flat plate-shaped structure along the linear guide element, the flat plate-shaped structure (110) is moved to a desired position, reducing the average gap between each pair of continuous flat plate-shaped structures to a value of 500 to 900 μm, and each of the flat plate-shaped structures is configured to cooperate with the linear guide element to form its respective slider joint, and is attached to the linear guide element by the respective joint elements formed on the fin and fixing means (160a) that restrict the linear sliding movement of each of the flat plate-shaped structures. The flat plate-shaped structure is fixed to the linear guide element (150) by forming the fixing means (160a) at a position where the dimensions of the linear guide element (140) have changed, thereby restricting the linear sliding movement of the flat plate-shaped structure and forming an arrangement of fixed, covered flat plate-shaped structures stacked along the linear guide element. including, method.

15. The method described above is Before covering the fins, The flat plate-shaped structure (110) is attached to the elongated element via each of the aforementioned joining elements, The flat plate-shaped structure is positioned at a first position along the elongated element, thereby ensuring the minimum gap between each pair of continuous flat plate-shaped structures among the flat plate-shaped structures. It further includes, Covering the fins is The elongated elements are arranged substantially parallel to the liquid containing the adsorbent coating, and a portion of each of the flat plate-shaped structures is immersed in the liquid. Rotating the elongated element impregnates the fin with the adsorbent coating. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

16. The liquid is a liquid suspension containing the particles of the adsorbent coating and a binder. The method according to claim 15, further comprising coating the fins by binding the particles to the fins with the binder.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the particles include micropore zeolite.

18. The liquid is a reactive liquid mixture that supports the synthesis of the adsorption layer on the fins. The method according to claim 15, further comprising coating the fins by reacting the reactive liquid mixture with the fins to form the adsorbent coating.

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