Improvement of COP with Heat Recovery Scheme for Solar Adsorption Cooling System

Abstract

Heat recovery ensures optimum usage of the collected energy, and thus, minimizes heat loss for a solar adsorption chiller. Two-bed adsorption chiller with conventional single stage, run by direct solar coupling with heat recovery, has been studied mathematically. In a heat recovery adsorption refrigeration system, to facilitate heat transfer, heat transfer fluid is distributed between two adsorbers maintaining the same mass flow rate. There is no mass transfer between system components during this phase. It is a semi-continuous system performed between two adsorption beds. After completion of desorption/condensation mode, heat transfer fluid is allowed to circulate between the heated desorber and the cooled adsorber. This process distributes some heat of the desorption bed to the adsorber preparing it for the next preheating mode where heat transfer between them is done adiabatically. Consequently, the performance has been checked and a satisfactory increase in the Coefficient of Performance (COP) (approximately 15%) has been detected in the calculated results for the heat recovery operation. It is also observed that the heat recovery process enhances the working hour and overall performances of the solar heat driven adsorption chiller.