A review of chemical heat pump technology and applications

Chemical heat pumps (CHPs) provide high storage capacity and high heat of r eaction as compared to sensible heat generated by absorption. Investigation of material properties and their operation have led to their heat pumps ex ploitation for commercial and industrial applications. Integration of solar thermal system to the CHPs would assist in expanding the utilization of CH Ps and also for many applications in the tropical region. The research done in CHP regarding to status of technology, current applications and their f uture prospect has been reviewed, with special reference to their utilizati on with solar thermal energy for cold production and upgrading/storage of h eat. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.