Compact adsorption heat exchangers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11662124-B2
Application number	US-202017115870-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2020
Priority date	Dec 9, 2020
Publication date	May 30, 2023
Grant date	May 30, 2023

Abstract

According to certain embodiments, an adsorption heat exchanger (AdHEX) part is provided. The AdHEX part comprises a linear guiding element, and a plurality of planar structures that include fins. Each of the planar structures is: mounted on the linear guiding element via a joint element, the joint element configured to cooperate with the linear guiding element to form a slider joint, coated with an adsorbent coating, and fixed on the linear guiding element, at a respective position, by a fixing means that restricts linear sliding movement of each of the planar structures to form an arrangement of coated planar structures that are stacked along the linear guiding element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An adsorption heat exchanger part comprising:
a linear guiding element; and
a plurality of planar structures that include fins,
wherein each of the planar structures is:
mounted on the linear guiding element via a joint element, the joint element configured to cooperate with the linear guiding element to form a slider joint,
coated with an adsorbent coating, and
fixed on the linear guiding element, at a respective position, by a fixing means that restricts linear sliding movement of each of the planar structures to form an arrangement of coated planar structures that are stacked along the linear guiding element, and

wherein an average gap between each pair of consecutive ones of the fixed planar structures is between 500 and 900 μm, the gap measured along a longitudinal direction of the linear guiding element.

2. The adsorption heat exchanger part according to claim 1 , wherein an average thickness of the coated planar structures is between 300 and 700 μm, the thickness measured along a longitudinal direction of the linear guiding element.

3. The adsorption heat exchanger part according to claim 1 , wherein an average thickness of the adsorbent coating is between 60 and 180 μm, the thickness measured along an a longitudinal direction of the linear guiding element.

4. The adsorption heat exchanger part according to claim 1 , wherein the planar structures are shaped as disks.

5. The adsorption heat exchanger part according to claim 1 , wherein the linear guiding element has a cylindrical shape, having an average outer diameter that is between 0.8 and 1.2 cm, the diameter measured perpendicularly to a longitudinal direction of the linear guiding element.

6. The adsorption heat exchanger part according to claim 5 ,
wherein the linear guiding element is a hollow tube having an average axial thickness that is between 350 and 450 μm,
wherein the axial thickness is measured radially, in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the linear guiding element.

7. The adsorption heat exchanger part according to claim 1 , wherein the adsorbent coating comprises a micro pore zeolite.

8. The adsorption heat exchanger part according to claim 7 , wherein the adsorbent coating comprises (SiO 2 ) x (Al 2 O 3 ) y (P 2 O 5 ) z .

9. An adsorption heat exchanger system comprising adsorption heat exchanger parts, wherein each of the adsorption heat exchanger parts comprises:
a linear guiding element; and
a plurality of planar structures that include fins,
wherein each of the planar structures is:
mounted on the linear guiding element via a joint element, the joint element configured to cooperate with the linear guiding element to form a slider joint,
coated with an adsorbent coating, and
fixed on the linear guiding element, at a respective position, by a fixing means that restricts linear sliding movement of each of the planar structures to form an arrangement of coated planar structures that are stacked along the linear guiding element, and

wherein an average gap between each pair of consecutive ones of the fixed planar structures is between 500 and 900 μm, the gap measured along a longitudinal direction of the linear guiding element.

10. The system according to claim 9 , wherein the system is configured to separate carbon dioxide from one or more other gases.

11. The system according to claim 9 , wherein the system further comprises one or more temperature swing separation columns, each including one or more of the adsorption heat exchanger parts.

12. The system according to claim 11 , wherein the system
comprises two or more of the temperature swing separation columns, in which one of the temperature swing separation columns is connected to another one of the temperature swing separation columns, and
is configured to drive the another one of the temperature swing separation columns with waste heat from the one of the temperature swing separation columns, in operation.

13. The system according to claim 11 , wherein the system further includes a power station, and the temperature swing separation columns of the system are configured so as to be driven by waste heat from the power station.

14. A method of fabricating an adsorption heat exchanger part, wherein the method comprises:
providing a linear guiding element and a plurality of planar structures, each having fins;
coating the fins with an adsorbent coating;
bringing the planar structures at desired positions by sliding the planar structures along the linear guiding element, each of the planar structures mounted on the linear guiding element via respective joint elements configured to cooperate with the linear guiding element to form respective slider joints, so as to reduce an average gap between each pair of consecutive ones of the planar structures; and
fixing the planar structures on the linear guiding element to restrict linear sliding movement of the planar structures to form an arrangement of fixed, coated planar structures that are stacked along the linear guiding element,
wherein an average gap between each pair of consecutive ones of the fixed planar structures is between 500 and 900 μm, the gap measured along a longitudinal direction of the linear guiding element.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the planar structures are brought to said desired positions so as to reduce the average gap to a value that is between 500 and 900 pm, the gap measured along a longitudinal direction of the linear guiding element.

16. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the linear guiding element is a hollow tube, and the planar structures are fixed on the tube by hydraulic expansion of the tube.

17. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the planar structures are fixed on the linear guiding element by mechanical swaging.

18. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the planar structures are fixed on the linear guiding element by soldering the planar structures thereon.

19. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the linear guiding element provided is coated with a solder, and the planar structures are fixed on the linear guiding element by soldering the planar structures thereon with the solder.

20. The method according to claim 14 , wherein
the method further comprises, prior to coating the fins:
mounting the planar structures onto an elongated element via the respective joint elements; and
placing the planar structures at first positions along the elongated element, so as to ensure a minimal gap between each pair of consecutive ones of the planar structures, and coating the fins further comprises:
placing the elongated element substantially parallel to a liquid comprising the adsorbent coating, so as for a portion of each of the planar structures to dip in the liquid; and
rotating the elongated element to impregnate the fins with the adsorbent coating.

21. The method according to claim 20 , wherein
the liquid is a reactive liquid mixture, which supports synthesis of an adsorbent layer on the fins, and
coating the fins further comprises reacting the reactive liquid mixture with the fins to form said adsorbent coating.

22. The method according to claim 20 , wherein
the liquid is a liquid suspension that comprises particles of the adsorbent coating and a binder, and
coating the fins further comprises binding the particles to the fins with the binder.

23. The method according to claim 22 , wherein the particles comprise a micro po

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Ruch Patrick
• Ammann Jens Oliver
• Michel Bruno

Classifications

• Y02C20/40

  of CO2 · CPC title

• F25B17/08 Primary

  the absorbent or adsorbent being a solid, e.g. salt (F25B17/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F28F1/30 Primary

  the means being attachable to the element (F28F1/32 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F28F13/185

  Heat-exchange surfaces provided with microstructures or with porous coatings · CPC title

• F28F13/003

  by using permeable mass, perforated or porous materials (F28F13/18 takes precedence) · CPC title