Design, Construction and Testing of a Solar Adsorption Refrigerator using Synthesised Zeolite A and Water as Adsorbent/Adsorbate Pair

摘要

This paper presents the design and construction of a simple Zeolite-water solar adsorption refrigeration system which has been fabricated and tested in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria at a geographical location of latitude 11o11''NE. The theory on which this design is based is on the use of Zeolite-water adsorbent/adsorbate pair to produce refrigeration. The energy source is a parabolic trough solar concentrator that collects and radiates solar thermal energy onto an air tight black coated absorber (generator) charged with Zeolite and water placed at the trough's focal point. The absorber adsorbs and desorbs the adsorbate and produces refrigeration as vapor is released through a condenser and an evaporator. Constructional details of the system show the systems height at 1.2 m, parabolic trough dimensions of 0.6m by 0.45m, the cold chamber, has a capacity of 36 liters. The system was evaluated by leaving it outside under solar radiation and monitoring temperatures at various points inside the collector, the generator, and the evaporator through the use of thermocouple sensors. The highest and lowest temperatures of the absorber were 60.1°C and 25°C respectively. The lowest refrigeration temperature of 9.8°C was attained with 179J of cooling.