Abstract
The study aims at clarifying the performance of silica gel-water adsorption refrigeration cycle with mass recovery process. Adsorption refrigeration cycle can be driven by the waste heat, therefore, the cycles are environmentally benign and save energy, in that they neither use ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) nor the electricity or fossil fiiels as driving sources. In an adsorption refrigeration cycle, the pressures in adsorber and desorber are different. The chiller with mass recovery process utilizes the pressure difference to enhance the refrigerant mass circulation; the enhancement leads increase of cooling capacity. Experiments with prototype machine were conducted to prove the performance improvement of mass recovery cycle. The cycle was compared with conventional cycle such as the single stage adsorption cycle in terms of cooling capacity and COP. The results show that the cooling capacity of mass recovery cycle is superior to that of conventional cycle and supply of hot and cooling water on mass recovery process is effective in increasing cooling capacity.
