Study on a low carbon solid adsorption refrigeration system using solar energy

A novel solid adsorption refrigerator driven by solar energy, which adopted activated carbon fiber and ethanol as its adsorption pair, has been designed. The constant refrigerating process, different components of the machine and the theoretical feasibility analysis of the refrigeration system are discussed in detail. As the adsorbent bed, the rotary ripple board is designed and it is the key part of this rotary solid adsorption refrigerator. In order to increase the utilization efficiency of the low-temperature heat resource such as solar heat and waste heat, structure of the adsorbent bed was optimized to enhance the heat and mass transfer performance of the refrigerant in the adsorbent bed. The mass transfer process during the course of adsorption and desorption is improved due to an increase in the adsorption rate. Results indicate that the solar solid adsorption refrigerating or air conditioning for tropical locations as residential applications is feasible and can replace conventional vapor compression systems, thus reducing the need of energy systems based on fossil fuel for cooling purposes.