Performance analysis of a multi-mode thermochemical sorption refrigeration system for solar-powered cooling

Abstract A multi-mode thermochemical sorption refrigeration system is presented for solar-powered cooling. The proposed system consists of three sorption refrigeration thermodynamic cycles that can be alternately operated based on the available solar energy insolation viz: combined double-way cycle, double-effect cycle and two-stage cycle. The working performance of the different sorption refrigeration cycles were theoretically analyzed and compared. For combined double-way sorption cycle, both adsorption refrigeration and resorption refrigeration were combined to improve the cooling capacity. For double-effect sorption cycle, one internal heat recovery process was employed to enhance the energy utilization efficiency. For two-stage cycle with internal heat recovery process, a secondary reactive salt was used to lower the driving regeneration temperature. Thermodynamic analysis showed that the working modes of the proposed system can be switched according to the different driving heat source temperatures. In comparison with the conventional solar solid-gas sorption refrigeration system, the presented multi-mode system can contribute to improving the utilization efficiency of solar energy and widening the scope of application of solar thermochemical sorption refrigerator.

[1]  Lingai Luo,et al.  Review of solar sorption refrigeration technologies: Development and applications , 2007 .

[2]  Takao Kashiwagi,et al.  Solar/waste heat driven two-stage adsorption chiller: the prototype , 2001 .

[3]  N. L. Pierrès,et al.  Experimental results of a solar powered cooling system at low temperature , 2007 .

[4]  G. Grossman.  Solar-powered systems for cooling, dehumidification and air-conditioning , 2002 .

[5]  Manuel Collares-Pereira,et al.  Supply of cooling and heating with solar assisted absorption heat pumps: an energetic approach , 1998 .

[7]  Klaus Spindler,et al.  Test and simulation of a solar powered solid sorption cooling machine , 1998 .

[8]  Ruzhu Wang,et al.  A combined double-way chemisorption refrigeration cycle based on adsorption and resorption processes , 2009 .

[9]  O. C. Iloeje,et al.  Design construction and test run of a solar powered solid absorption refrigerator , 1985 .

[10]  Julien Berthiaud.  Procédé à sorption solide/gaz pour le transport de chaleur et de froid à longue distance , 2007 .

[11]  Gershon Grossman,et al.  Solar cooling and air conditioning , 1981 .

[12]  V. E. Sharonov,et al.  Chemical and adsorption heat pumps: Comments on the second law efficiency , 2008 .

[13]  O. S. Popel,et al.  Simulation and design of a solar driven thermochemical refrigerator using new chemisorbents , 2007 .

[14]  Ruzhu Wang,et al.  An efficient solar-powered adsorption chiller and its application in low-temperature grain storage , 2007 .

[15]  Li Yong,et al.  Technology development in the solar adsorption refrigeration systems , 2003 .

[16]  Ruzhu Wang,et al.  A new target-oriented methodology of decreasing the regeneration temperature of solid–gas thermochemical sorption refrigeration system driven by low-grade thermal energy , 2011 .

[17]  Pierre Neveu,et al.  A review of chemical heat pump technology and applications , 2001 .

[18]  P. Worsøe-Schmidt,et al.  A solar-powered solid-absorption refrigeration system☆ , 1979 .

[19]  Ruzhu Wang,et al.  Adsorption refrigeration- : An efficient way to make good use of waste heat and solar energy , 2006 .

[20]  Ph. Grenier,et al.  Experimental Data on a Solar-Powered Ice Maker Using Activated Carbon and Methanol Adsorption Pair , 1987 .

[21]  Vincent Goetz,et al.  Solar heating and cooling by a thermochemical process. First experiments of a prototype storing 60 kW h by a solid/gas reaction , 2008 .

[22]  F. Meunier.  Sorption solar cooling , 1994 .

[23]  R. E. Critoph.  Performance limitations of adsorption cycles for solar cooling , 1988 .

[24]  Ruzhu Wang,et al.  Solar sorption cooling systems for residential applications: Options and guidelines , 2009 .