OPTIMIZATION OF THE ADSORBER IN AN ADSORPTION SOLAR-POWERED COOLING SYSTEM

摘要

The adsorption solar-powered cooling system is one of several types of solar-powered cooling systems currently under development. Increasing the efficiency and decreasing the cost of this system will make it a commercially viable alternative to traditional refrigeration systems. The objective of this project was to optimize the adsorber in the adsorption system. A mathematical model of the refrigerant distribution within a cylindrical adsorber was developed using equations from Chua et al. The simulation revealed effects of varying design parameters on the theoretical refrigerant mass flow rate, which is directly proportional to the system refrigeration capacity. These results indicated parameter values to be used in designing the adsorber. It was found that decreased particle radius, decreased bed porosity, increased pipe radius, increased adsorber radius, and increased fin thickness all positively affect the performance of the adsorption system. Further simulation and experimental trials are recommended to verify these results.