Abstract
This paper proposes a three-bed three-stage adsorption cycle with a new operational strategy. The cycle consists of three adsorber/desorber heat exchangers, one evaporator, and one condenser. The two beds on the low-pressure side operate in a re-heat cycle, and another bed on the high-pressure side operates in a conventional cycle. The objectives of the current study were to evaluate the cycle at a low heat source temperature such that it can be driven by solar or waste heat and to reduce the number of heat exchangers from six beds to three beds. A simulation model was developed, and the system behavior and its performance were predicted. The performance of the proposed cycle was compared with that of a conventional six-bed three-stage adsorption cycle. The simulation results showed that the proposed cycle with the new operational strategy could operate at low heat source temperature i.e., 45 °C, and offers approximately five times higher performance in terms of SCP than the conventional cycle. Consequently, the proposed cycle is effective for use of a low-grade heat source, even with three beds.
