WALL CONTACT THERMAL RESISTANCE AND BULK THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY IN ACTIVATED CARBON FOR ADSORPTION GENERATORS

It is acknowledged that the commercial success of the adsorption heat pump or refrigeration systems depends crucially on heat and mass transfer in the sorbent bed. Good heat and mass transfer allows one to obtain greater specific heating or cooling power which reduces the capital costs. This study surveys the previously reported data on heat transfer in activated carbon beds, compares it with newly measured data, and draws conclusions on the way that the wall geometry, particle size distribution, and the bulk density affect the overall thermal performance. The thermal conductivity technique used in this study is a steady-state measurement in a heated plate device.