The compressor-driven metal hydride heat pump (CDMHHP) using commercialized oil-type compressor is built to demonstrate the practical applicability of metal hydride air-conditioning system. Extensive research has been carried out on the design, construction and operating performance of the system. The experimental results indicate that the present CDMHHP can produce a maximum cooling power of 353 kcal/kg-alloy h and an energy efficiency (COP) of 1.8 with a half-cycle time of 3 min. The minimum cooling temperature is 6degreesC at 7 Nm(3)/min airflow rate. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd on behalf of the International Association for Hydrogen Energy.