Experimental investigation of a moving-bed heat storage thermochemical reactor with SrBr2/H2O couple

This study investigates a moving-bed thermochemical reactor with hydrated salt and humid air flow, suitable for building heating applications. A well-instrumented reactor prototype, developed to produce a heating power up to 1 kW, allowed analysing the functioning of the reactor. The SrBr2 center dot H2O/SrBr(2 center dot)6H(2)O pair was used and allowed reaching reactor temperatures up to 41 degrees C and specific heating powers of 1.7-4.6 kW/m(3) of reactor bed. Once the thermal steady state was reached, the temperature was homogeneous throughout the bed. This study shows the impact of the air humidity at the reactor inlet on the reactor performances and shows the feasibility of continuous thermochemical heat storage in a moving bed reactor with hydrated salt. Finally, this study highlighted the advantages and limitations of moving bed reactors for thermochemical storage applications.