Adsorbent-Adsorbate Pairs for Solar Thermal Energy Storage in Residential Heating Applications: A Comparative Study

This paper investigates the feasibility of using different adsorbent-adsorbate pairs in a thermal energy storage cycle to store solar energy for residential heating applications in Canada. Silica gel, activated carbon, activated aluminum, zeolite-4A, zeolite-5A and zeolite-13X adsorbents paired with methanol and water adsorbates are considered. Calculations are made to determine the volume, mass and cost of the adsorbent-adsorbate pair required to heat a house with four occupants. Zeolite 4A-water and zeolite 13X-water pairs are found to be the most economic (with an actual cost of 285 CAD and 374 CAD, respectively) and efficient (maximum heat of adsorption) adsorbent-adsorbate pairs with the minimum mass required, (290 kg and 226 kg, respectively) to meet the spatial heating requirements of the house.