Introduction

This patent describes the process involved in the production of silicone foams functionalized with zeolite to obtain a composite adsorbent material to be used with adsorbent heat pumps (Adsorption Heat pumps AHPs). The choice of a composite foam allows to obtain a product with high vapor permeability maximizing the performance of the zeolite and allowing an improvement in the performance of the AHPs.

Technical features

The present invention relates to a method for producing an adsorbent zeolitic foam based on hydruric silane, silanol and a catalyst, in the presence of water and ethanol. Furthermore, the obtained adsorbent zeolite foam can be used for coating heat exchangers. Usually, the presence of a macroporous structure significantly limits the resistance to mass transfer (water vapor) inside the adsorber, compared to systems based on zeolitic coatings. Here the production of the adsorber is also independent of the complexity of the geometry of the exchanger and the construction material of the exchanger itself. This makes this technology more flexible than systems based on granules or adsorbent coatings.

Possible Applications

• Industrial and civil applications in the field of heat pump and air conditioning systems, based on adsorption technology.

Advantages

• Increased performance of adsorption heat pumps, improving the results currently obtainable from adsorbers based on granules or adsorbent coatings;
• Increase in the ratio between adsorbent material and metal;
• Increase in the quantity of material actually “active” in the adsorption process.