Design and development of solar-powered adsorption cooling unit

该项目的目标是设计、开发、表征(热经济性)和优化一种新的太阳能吸附制冷概念。传统集热器(如真空管或平板集热器)收集的太阳能可用于吸附制冷循环，以有效取代机械蒸汽压缩。 与传统的冷却装置相比，拟议的设计有两个关键优势：有效利用从太阳能收集的低品位热量，从而降低电力消耗；最大限度地减少旋转设备的使用。由于环境问题和电力成本飙升，最近对可再生能源的增长和兴趣，以及对高效离网冷却和制冷(例如，船只空调机组)的需求，使拟议的概念特别有希望。 支持建议设计的主要机械设计论点是，由于压缩循环中没有移动部件，因此吸附系统安静、持久且维护经济。因此，太阳能吸附制冷和空调对于移动设备和离网地点来说是一个很好的解决方案。关于这一概念有一些已发表的作品，以及在实验室规模开发的一些探索性系统；然而，目前还没有现成的用于商业、工业或住宅应用的太阳能吸附制冷装置。 通过这项拟议的研究，谢里丹学院(PI：Dr.Amin Ghobeity，P.Eng.)与行业合作伙伴DR HVAC有限公司计划开发一种专有太阳能吸附制冷机组，其功率范围为6,000 BTU/小时。(即0.5吨)。

The objective of this project is to design, develop, characterize (thermos-economic), and optimize a novel solar adsorption cooling concept. Solar-thermal energy collected by conventional collectors (e.g., evacuated tubes or flat plate collectors) can be used in an adsorption refrigeration cycle to effectively replace the mechanical vapour compression. The proposed design has two key advantages over conventional cooling units: lower electricity consumption attributed to an efficient use of low-grade heat collected from solar energy, and minimal use of rotary equipment. Recent growth and interest in renewable energy sources, due to environmental concerns and the surging electricity costs, and the need for efficient off-grid cooling and refrigeration (e.g., air conditioning units for boats) make the proposed concept particularly promising. The main mechanical design arguments in favour of the proposed design are that sorption systems are quiet, long lasting, and economical to maintain since there are no moving parts in the compression cycle. As such, solar adsorption refrigeration and air conditioning can be a great solution for mobile units and off-grid locations. There are a few published works on the concept, as well as some exploratory systems developed at a lab scale; however, there is currently no off-the-shelf solar adsorption cooling unit for commercial, industrial, or residential applications. Through this proposed research, Sheridan College (PI: Dr. Amin Ghobeity, P.Eng.) and industry partner DR HVAC Ltd. aim to develop a proprietary solar adsorption cooling unit in the range of 6,000 BTU/hr. (i.e., 0.5 ton).