Sensitivity Analysis of the Energy Density in a Thermo Chemical Heat Storage Device

Numerical simulation is used to present the spatial and temporal evolution of the temperature, the moisture content, the energy density and the instantaneous power in a fixed bed of zeolite beads during water adsorption. The sensitivity of the released energy density to some parameters (reactor geometry, feed relative humidity and temperature, kinetic coefficient, wall heat transfer coefficient, axial mass and thermal dispersion, permeability) is analyzed. To obtain optimal performances from the fixed- bed reactor and to meet the heating needs of a building, balance has to be found between the latter variables since they have an influence on the discharge duration and the power levels obtained.