Modeling of a nonlinear thermochemical energy storage by adsorption on zeolites

•Thermo-chemical energy storage by adsorption–desorption in a closed system.•Simulation of coupled heat and mass transfers within the zeolite 13X – water pair.•Stiff system of thousands of non-linear strongly coupled equations.•Resolution of non-linear and coupled equations for cycles under stiff conditions.•Resolution reflecting reality and fast enough to be applied to design of systems.

A two-dimensional model is built to analyze the coupled heat and mass transfers occurring in the zeolite 13X – water pair within a closed storage system. The proposed model consists of nonlinear coupled differential partial equations, is robust and solved for entire cycles under extreme conditions using the Gear method. The results match observations for a large set of adsorber dimensions even under extreme solicitations. They apply to both adsorption and desorption dynamics, allow energetic predictions and can be helpful to improve design and management of storage systems for building applications.