Method of preheating motor vehicles with internal combustion engines

摘要

A method of preheating vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines involves the utilization of the heat released when hydrogen is combined with a high-temperature hydride-forming material contained within a high-temperature reservoir. The high-temperature reservoir contains a sufficient quantity of low-temperature reservoir hydride-forming material that when hydrogen is added from a low-temperature reservoir to the high-temperature reservoir, the quantity of heat which is initially released by the low-temperature hydride-forming material is sufficient to raise the high-temperature reservoir hydride-forming material also contained in the high-temperature reservoir to the reaction temperatures required for absorption of hydrogen and the release of heat. The amount of heat released in the high-temperature reservoir is used to preheat the vehicle by heat exchange with the vehicle passenger compartment and/or engine and the exhaust heat released by the engine during operation is used to desorb the hydrogen from the hydride-forming material in the high-temperature reservoir and transfer the hydrogen back to a low-temperature reservoir.