physics

Lamm-Honigmann process

Lamm-Honigmann process is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Lamm-Honigmann process rather than just read about it. In short: The Lamm-Honigmann process is a storage and heat to power conversion process that consists of using the effect of vapor pressure depression of a working fluid mixture compared to a pure working fluid of that mixture. This process is named after their independent inventors Emile Lamm (US patent from 1870) and Moritz Honigmann (German patent from 1883).

Key takeaways

Lamm-Honigmann process belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Lamm-Honigmann process to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Lamm-Honigmann process from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Lamm-Honigmann process is a storage and heat to power conversion process that consists of using the effect of vapor pressure depression of a working fluid mixture compared to a pure working fluid of that mixture. This process is named after their independent inventors Emile Lamm (US patent from 1870) and Moritz Honigmann (German patent from 1883). Both inventors envisioned and realized the same process principle for usage as energy storage in so-called Fireless locomotive but with different working fluid pairs: Emile Lamm used ammonia and water, Moritz Honigmann used water and caustic soda. Compared to conventional fire-less locomotives (that usually work with reservoirs of pure pressurized water or air) the advantage of the process proposed by Lamm and Honigmann is that the loss in pressure ratio during discharging of the storage is smaller, and therefore theoretically a larger storage density can be achieved. The process can be considered as a Carnot battery technologies.

Process principle A mixture of water and e.g. any salt has according to Raoult's law a smaller vapor pressure than the pure mixture. More specifically, the vapor pressure depression is larger the larger the salt mass fraction is. This pressure potential is used in the Lamm-Honigmann process to expand the working fluid, e.g. water vapor, in an expansion device and generate mechanical or subsequently electrical energy. The working fluid is evaporated from a reservoir (Evaporator) and then expanded into a concentrated solution of the working fluid pair that has lower vapor pressure (Absorber). The working fluid is absorbed by the solution and heat of absorption is transferred to the evaporator to hold the pressure in the evaporator. During this discharging process the pressure in the absorber is rising due to dilution of the mixture, until the pressure potential is not large enough anymore to drive the expansion device or whatever is connected to it. The storage is discharged. The charging process consists of re-concentrating the working fluid mixture by means of heat or mechanical energy. In the case of thermal charging, the diluted solution is heated and the working fluid is desorbed and condensed in a condenser at the same pressure level. The heat of condensation has to be transferred to the environment or another heat sink. In case of mechanical charging the discharging process is literally inverted. A compression device brings the working fluid that is desorbed out of the mixture to a larger pressure level, where it is condensed. The heat of condensation is transferred to the mixture for desorption of the working fluid. The process can equally be realized using solid sorption pairs (e.g. Zeolith/water) or chemicals of a reversible chemical reaction (e.g. Calcium chloride/water), but no realized prototypes are known.

Application as stationary energy storage Whereas the storage densities achievable with the recently investigated working fluid pairs are with 1.4-17.5 Wh/kg not large enough for mobile applications, current research work focuses on its application as stationary energy storage with a flexible use of different kinds of energy for charging and discharging as indicated storage efficiencies are comparable to other bulk energy storage systems such as pumped hydro, liquid air energy storage or hydrogen storage.

See also Energy storage Grid energy storage Carnot battery Thermal energy storage

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lamm-Honigmann process

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lamm-Honigmann process claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Lamm-Honigmann process before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Lamm-Honigmann process ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Lamm-Honigmann process

In research: Lamm-Honigmann process appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Lamm-Honigmann process in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Lamm-Honigmann process is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Energy storage, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Lamm-Honigmann process outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Lamm-Honigmann process in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Lamm-Honigmann process means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Lamm-Honigmann process out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lamm-Honigmann process in simple terms?

Why does Lamm-Honigmann process matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Lamm-Honigmann process?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Lamm-Honigmann process.