Adsorption Refrigeration Cycle

Aim

- Design and build an experimental setup for demonstrating adsorption

refrigeration cycle.

Primary objectives

- Use of a transparent evaporator to experiment adsorption process

between the evaporator and the generator,
- Assess the effect of different generator configurations on the solid
adsorption capacity,
- Assess the adsorption cycle with different materials (working pairs),

Brief introduction to adsorption

Adsorption is the ability of a material to attract other gas or liquid molecules to

its surface (it is a surface phenomenon), it is dependent mainly on the
temperature, pressure, and the exposed surface area (including pours).

Adsorption system consists of three components: generator/absorber,

condenser, and evaporator. As heat is added to the generator, the adsorbate
(refrigerant) starts to separate from the adsorbent, and when this adsorbate
gas reaches the condenser, it condenses and collects in the evaporator.

Refrigeration and air conditioning systems use adsorption cycle to transfer heat
from lower to higher temperature environment.
Experimental setup schematic

Figure 1: Adsorption Properties Experimental Setup

Specification

Generator is a vertical aluminium cylinder with plated end plates, it

houses the adsorbent. It is connected to the piping network
through the upper plate. This plate is also fitted with an
aluminium pocket to measure the generator temperature.

Piping Network is made of copper pipes, fitted with four ball valves to
facilitate components isolation, and two pressure
 transducers for measuring the generator and evaporator
pressures.

Evaporator is a vertical glass cylinder with plated aluminium end plates.

It is divided into two sections; the upper chamber houses
the adsorbate, and the bottom chamber contains water.
These two chambers are separated with an aluminium plate.
Similarly to the generator, the evaporator is connected to
the piping network through the upper plate, and the plate is
also fitted with an aluminium pocket to measure the
evaporator temperature.

Heating System it consists of a water tank in which the generator is

immersed into, this water temperature is adjusted using
digital temperature controller thermostat which is connected
to the heating source.

Instruments

Pressure Transducers Two

Range 0 to +200 kPa Absolute.

To indicate generator and evaporator pressure.

Temperature Sensors Three

Range -50°C to +200°C

Fitted in aluminium pockets to indicate generator,

evaporator, and chilled water temperature.

Vacuum Pump To decrease the pressure of the system to the

evaporator pressure.

Safety: No moving parts.

Relief valve set at 150kPa fitted to the system.

Description of the experimental setup

The primary objective of this experimental setup is to demonstrate adsorption

refrigeration cycle. At this early stage, the condenser and the evaporator are
combined into one chamber for simplification purposes. Hence, water will serve
as condenser coolant, as well as evaporator chilled water. This setup can easily
be modified to separate the condenser from the evaporator.

Generator

Referring to the schematic diagram presented in figure (1), the generator is a

vertical aluminium cylinder with plated end plates. Inside the generator, a
meshed stainless steel cylinder is run through the centre creating two chambers;
the outer chamber is filled with the adsorbent (e.g. activated carbon) and the
inner chamber is left empty for refrigerant passage. (See figure 2)

The generator configuration presented in figure (2) was designed in such way to
maximise the area of contact between the working pair (adsorbent/adsorbate).

Figure 2: Plan view of inside the generator

Condenser/Evaporator

Evaporator is a vertical glass cylinder with plated aluminium end plates, it is

divided into two sections, the upper section contains the refrigerant, and the
bottom section contains water. These two sections are separated by an
aluminium plate as shown in figure (1).

This evaporator is designed in such way to observe the change in phase of the
refrigerant inside the container.

Adsorption Cycle

Initially, the heating element is turned off and the system pressure is set to its
evaporator pressure (low). The liquid refrigerant accumulated in the evaporator
starts changing into gas phase by absorbing heat from water, hence reducing its
temperature. This refrigerant is then adsorbed in the generator by the adsorbent
(e.g. activated carbon). The adsorption process will continue until the adsorbent
is fully saturated.

Desorption Cycle

Once the adsorbent is saturated with the refrigerant, the heating element is
turned on. The inner temperature and pressure start rising in the generator
(isosteric heat) until the refrigerant begins to separate from the adsorbent, this
refrigerant is then passed to the condenser/evaporator where it condenses and
collects in the same chamber.

Design Process

The refrigeration unit is designed to produce approximately 100 grams of ice.

Based on the proposed evaporator design, the amount of refrigerant required to
produce the cooling was calculated to be 10ml, and using Zhao YL (2011)
findings on the adsorptive properties of activated carbon, the amount of
adsorbent required in the generator was estimated to be 40grams.

Note: these calculations are based on ideal conditions (heat gain, heat losses,
and refrigerant in the piping network were ignored)

Detailed calculations are presented in following:

Testing Procedures

Once the experimental setup is build according to the schematic diagram

presented in figure (1), the following steps are carried out:

- The system is tested in vacuum condition for 24 hours to identify any

leaks,

- The adsorbent (activated carbon) is dried in an oven at 110°C for 12

hours,

- Pressure relief valve is tested by pressurising the system to more than

150kPa,

- Activated carbon and methanol are placed in the generator and

evaporator respectively,

- The pressure of the system is set to the evaporator pressure (3kPa),

- Methanol vaporises by absorbing heat from water, then this gas is

adsorbed by activated carbon,

- Once activated carbon is saturated with methanol, the amount of

refrigerant left in the evaporator is recorded,

- Heating element is switched on after the thermostat was set to 60°C,

- The system is left in desorption mode for 7 hours,

- Pressures and temperatures of the generator and evaporator are

monitored at all times,

- The experiment is repeated by changing the generator pressure to 70°C,

80°C, and 90°C,

- The amount of methanol in the evaporator is recorded before and after

each experiment,