Water vapor sorption in salt hydrates is a promising method to realize seasonal solar heat storage. Several of these materials have already shown promising performance for this application. However, a significant bottle neck for applications is the low thermal conductivity. In this study, several fabrication methods of the fixation of salts and their hydrates on metals to overcome the problem are presented. The products are analyzed concerning the hydration states, the corrosion behavior, the chemical compatibility, and the mechanical stability.

The thermodynamic modeling of the fuel evaporation in a tank of petrol engine cars by calculation of vapor-liquid equilibria of multi-compound systems of real model fluids is described. An overview of the modeling background and formulation is provided. The results of simulated fuel evaporation with the derived model for the first diurnal for different types of fuels and influencing parameters are presented.

Adsorption processes are of great interest in catalysis, material separation, and thermal management. In recent decades, adsorbents have been further investigated because of their applications in adsorption refrigeration, heat pumps, and thermal energy storage. Thus, there is an increasing need to determine the macroscopic properties of the adsorbent, specifically their adsorption/desorption capacity and speed, because these two factors determine the power and size of the corresponding adsorber. Many designs have been proposed, but there is still not a generally adopted technology for the analysis of those properties. In this paper, a novel instrument is described, which is capable of determining the macrokinetic properties of an adsorbent composite, with better control and higher accuracy than gravimetric, volumetric, or barometric installations, and lower price and complexity than spectroscopic installations. The design of the installation is detailed, highlighting the main challenges and critical factors. The two working modes of the installation are described, and one example is provided and analyzed for each of them.

Adsorption refrigeration systems and heat pumps still possess a relatively reduced market share as compared to the traditional compression systems. Despite having the great advantage of being powered by cheap heat (instead of expensive electric work), the implementation of systems based on adsorption principles remains limited to few specific applications. The main drawback that needs to be solved is their reduced specific power due to the low thermal conductivity and low stability of the adsorbents. The current state of the art of commercial adsorption cooling systems rely on adsorbers based on coated finned heat exchangers to optimize the cooling power. It is a well known result, that the reduction of the thickness of the coating derives in a reduction of the mass transport impedance, and that the increment of the ratio surface to volume of conductive structures increases the power without reducing the efficiency. The metallic fibres used in this work can offer a ratio of specific surface in the range of 2500–50,000 m2/m3.Three methods of preparing very thin but stable salt-hydrate coatings on metallic surfaces, including metallic fibres, for the production of coated heat exchangers with high specific power, are presented for the first time. A surface treatment based on aluminium anodizing was chosen to create a stronger bond between coat and substrate. The microscopic structure of the resulting surface was analysed by Scan Electron Microscopy. To verify the presence of the desired species Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transformed Infrared and Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were employed in the analysis. Their capacity to form hydrates was verified via simultaneous Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA)/Differential Thermogravimetry (DTG). Over a mass difference of 0.07 g(water)/g(composite) was detected in the coating of MgSO4, which showed signs of dehydration at temperatures around 60 °C, and repeatability after rehydration. Also positive results were obtained with SrCl2 and ZnSO4 with mass differences around 0.02 g/g below 100 °C. Hydroxyethyl Cellulose was chosen as additive to increase the stability and adherence of the coatings. The adsorption properties of the product were evaluated with simultaneous TGA-DTG, while their adherence was characterized by means of a procedure based on the test described in ISO2409. Coatings of CaCl2 displayed a much improved consistency and adherence, while retaining its adsorption capacity, showing mass differences of around 0.1 g/g at temperatures below 100 °C. Also MgSO4 retains the capacity of forming hydrates, showing a mass difference of more than 0.04 g/g below 100 °C. Finally, coated metallic fibres were investigated. Results show that the effective heat conductivity of a fibre structure coated with Al2(SO4)3 can be up to 4.7 times higher as compared to a block of pure Al2(SO4)3 . The coverage of the pursued coatings was visually investigated and the internal structure was evaluated by microscopic imaging of cross-sections. Coatings of around 50 µm of Al2(SO4)3 were generated, but in general the process requires optimization to achieve a more uniform distribution.

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