Calcium oxide/carbon dioxide reactivity in a packed bed reactor of a chemical heat pump for high-temperature gas reactors

The thermal performance of a chemical heat pump that uses a calcium oxide/carbon dioxide reaction system was discussed as a heat storage system for utilizing heat output from high temperature gas reactors (HTGR). Calcium oxide/carbon dioxide reactivity for the heat pump was measured using a packed bed reactor containing 1.0 kg of reactant. The reactor was capable of storing heat at 900 degreesC by decarbonation of calcium carbonate and generating up to 997 degreesC by carbonation of calcium oxide. The amount of stored heat in the reactor was 800-900 kJ kg(-1). The output temperature of the reactor could be controlled by regulating the carbonation pressure. The thermal storage performance of the reactor was superior to that of conventional sensible heat storage systems. A heat pump using this CaO/CO2 reactor is expected to contribute to thermal load leveling and to realize highly efficient utilization of HTGR output due to the high heat storage density and high-quality temperature output of the heat pump. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.