Deliverable 4.1 "Measuring protocol for the characterization of adsorber materials"

The aim of this report is to define procedures to characterize sorption materials reliably and reproducibly, to allow an estimation of their performance within adsorption heat pumps. The different materials characterisation techniques are described and the relevant sample preparation and measurement parameters ensuring reliable measurements defined. Where necessary, additional tools or procedures to ascertain the reproducibility and reliability of measured results are introduced. Further, the set of measurements needed to give a performance estimation of a given sorption material in adsorption heat pumps is discussed. Two set of measurements are defined: a minimal set of measurements, allowing an initial estimation of materials performance, and an extended set of measurements to estimate more accurate application-based performance and efficiency. The characterization protocol has been tuned for three reference materials: Silica Gel granules, Activated Carbon monoliths and SAPO-34 powders. Together, they are considered to represent the most commonly applied water sorbent classes [7], regarding both microscopic and macroscopic properties, so that the protocol is general enough to work with most of the existing materials. The methods and the parameters proposed in this document are the result of the joint effort of Empa, CNR-ITAE and Fahrenheit GmbH. Consequently, it refers to standard and innovative characterization techniques tested by them and/or their partners with the available instruments, but it is meant to be applied to a wider set of cases and devices.