Study of Pressurised Adsorption Refrigeration Cycles Driven by

Solar/Waste Heat

EXTENDED PROPOSAL

by

Satish S/O Ganesan
14532

May 2014


Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS
Bandar Seri Iskandar
31750 Tronoh
Perak Darul Ridzuan
i

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapters Pages
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION..........................................................
1.1 Background............................................................................ 1
1.2 Problem Statement................................................................. 2
1.4 Objectives and Scope of Study.............................................. 2
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW..............................................
2.1 Conventional Refrigeration Cycle......................................... 3
2.2 Adsorption Refrigeration Cycle............................................. 3-5
2.3 Type of Adsorption Systems and Working Pairs................... 5-6
2.4 Isotherms................................................................................ 6
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY.........................................................
3.1 Key Milestone........................................................................ 7
3.2 Gantt Chart............................................................................. 8
REFERENCES........................................................................................ 9-10
1

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
A lot of research has gone through in the field of adsorption in recent years to
replace the conventional refrigeration system. This is due to the threats posed by
the current system to the environment in the form of high Global Warming
Potential (GWP) and Ozone Depleting Potential (ODP). According to Jribi et al.
(2010), the GWP of R134a, a common refrigerant in the conventional
refrigeration system, reaches almost a staggering 1300 while Hassan et al. (2011)
stated that the chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) emission also causes serious
consideration for an environmental friendly replacement. So, according to
Hassan et al., adsorption chillers could be the solution for the problem and they
are more appealing as a subject for research and development in the future.
Thermally powered sorption cooling systems have attracted a lot of attention as
they appear to be promising from the view point of greenhouse gas emissions
and ozone layer depletion problems. Loh et al. (2010) stated that the system has
no moving parts, requires relatively lesser maintenance and can be driven by
substandard heat source and hence, holds the advantage in relation to other
options available. This study also includes the effectiveness of each adsorbent-
adsorbate pair for a thermally driven sorption cooling system. Furthermore, it
incorporates the performance analysis of single stage two bed adsorption cooling
cycle at pressurized conditions employing activated carbon of type Maxsorb III
as adsorbent paired with four various refrigerants or adsorbates. The changes in
the adsorption isotherms of each pair will be studied extensively in order to
obtain the best adsorbent-adsorbate pair at different working conditions.








2

1.2 Problem Statement
As specified above, the conventional vapour compression refrigeration cycle has
a lot of downsides, the prominent ones being its vast Global Warming Potential
(GWP) and Ozone Depleting Potential (ODP). Hence, questions were asked
about its eco-friendliness. One of the most economically and environmentally
preferred technology is the sorption cooling system (Hassan et al., 2008).
According to Habib et al. (2011), the thermally driven system is non-toxic, eco-
friendly and employs natural refrigerants such as water, ammonia, methanol,
ethanol etc. Moreover, he added that the system has not need of polyester type
of synthetic lubricants. The main drawback of vacuum based adsorption cooling
cycles, however, is that the leakages will drastically reduce its performance.

1.3 Objectives and Scope of Study
The objectives of this project are:
i. To study performance analysis of single stage two bed adsorption cooling
cycle at pressurized conditions employing activated carbon of type
Maxsorb III as adsorbent and four various refrigerants.
ii. To obtain the best adsorbent-refrigerant pair at different working
conditions.
This analytical project incorporates the research and analyses of adsorption
isotherms of different adsorbent-adsorbate pairs under specified conditions.

3



CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Conventional Refrigeration Cycle
Generally, a conventional refrigeration cycle, or commonly known as vapour
compression cycle is made up four main components, namely, the compressor,
evaporator, condenser and an expansion valve. However, regardless of how
efficient the system prove to be performance wise, it is still criticised for its
contribution to global warming and ozone depletion. As stated by Hassan,
Mohamad, and Bennacer (2011), the chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) emission from
the refrigerator is one of the main causes for global warming. Jribi et al. (2010)
added that the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of refrigerant type R134a, a
common refrigerant in a conventional refrigeration system, approaches 1300. On
the other hand, the adsorption refrigeration systems are gaining wide recognition
mainly due to their environmentally benign attribute.

2.2 Adsorption Refrigeration Cycle
Adsorption, a part of sorption process, is defined as the adhesion of atoms, ions,
or molecules from a gas or liquid onto a surface. It is a surface-based
phenomenon where an adsorbent surface is capable of attracting adsorbates.
Adsorption technique has been widely commercialised for industrial uses such
as gas separation, purification, energy storage systems etc. consistent with Saha
et al. (2008). He also stated that each one of the applications stated above needs
a specific adsorption data for the evaluation of adsorption equilibrium and energy
balance calculation. Likewise, the technique has been commercialised for
refrigeration cycles where the conventional compressor is replaced by a
thermally driven reactor, consisting of two adsorbent beds, each for adsorption
and desorption respectively (Chua et al., 1999). The schematic description of a
two-bed adsorption chiller is presented in Figure 1.

4


FIGURE 1: A schematic of two-bed adsorption chiller

Figure 1 is the representation of the simplest form of a two-bed adsorption
chiller. The adsorption refrigeration system utilises thermal energy in the waste
heat from cogeneration systems or solar heat in some cases. In general, unlike
the compressor in a conventional system, the refrigerant (adsorbate) will be
adsorbed onto the surface of its adsorbent and deposited onto the cold bed (Chua
et al., 1999). Habib et al. asserted that cooling process of the cold bed, with the
help of coolant, ensures continuity of the adsorption process until the cold bed is
saturated. This phase of the system is called evaporation, or specifically known
as adsorption prompted evaporation. Then, hot bed which regenerated early on
takes over the process while the cold bed get desorbed. Desorption is
contradictory to adsorption where the cold bed needs to be heated at a constant
rate in order to ensure its continuity. Habib, Saha, Chakraborty, Koyama, and
Srinivasan (2011) found that the adsorption process is exothermic while the
desorption process is endothermic, consistent with Chua et al. The refrigerant
vapour desorbed from the hot bed will be condensed at the condenser. This phase
of the system will increase not only the temperature, but also the pressure of the
refrigerant until it reaches the condenser pressure. The warm fluid will then be
passed through the expansion valve where it undergoes abrupt pressure
reduction. Respective roles of two beds are reversed accordingly by swapping
the bed coolant and heat source. It is this behaviour of the system that prompted
it to be declared as an intermittent operation by Hassan et al. When the beds swap
5

roles, the instantaneous refrigeration power of the system will undergo a
substantial drop and hence, it is important to maintain minimum switching time
(Chua et al., 1999). In addition, he argued that the diminutive switching period,
however, would result in inadequate cooling of the hot bed. The valves
connecting the condenser and evaporator with the beds will be closed during the
switching period. In the meanwhile, the hot bed will be cooled with a coolant
while the cold bed is heated. Then, the valves will be opened for adsorption and
desorption once the cooling and heating processes are complete. Chua et al.
stated that frequent regeneration contributes to efficient evaporation but the
process consumes high thermal power at the same time. Hassan et al. also
criticised the system in terms of its low specific cooling power (SCP) and
coefficient of performance (COP) in consistent with Habib et al. Hence, Habib
et al. suggested that the performance of two separate sorption cooling system,
when combined together, where ones waste heat is utilised for another, could
significantly improve the overall efficiency of the system. Apart from that,
Hassan et al. expressed that the thermal powered sorption systems can be of
pressurised or non-pressurised types, depending on the adsorbent-adsorbate
pairs. Loh, Saha, Chakraborty, Ng, and Chun (2010) agreed to the statement by
giving away examples of high pressure and low pressure adsorbent-adsorbate
pairs. The types of adsorption refrigeration systems and the adsorbent-adsorbate
pairs associated with them are discussed further in the next section.

2.3 Type of Adsorption Systems and Working Pairs
The adsorption based refrigeration system is typically split into two types, the
vacuum based adsorption and the pressurised adsorption systems. The vacuum
based system, as the name suggests, is built upon vacuum condition in order to
accelerate the evaporation phase. This is due to the fact that evaporation
temperature is vastly reduced with decreasing pressure. On the other hand, the
pressurised system is the type of system which operates at a pressure more than
the atmospheric pressure. As mentioned in the earlier section, the type of
adsorption system is defined by the working pairs used (Loh, Saha, Chakraborty,
Ng, & Chun, 2010). Adsorbents are generally defined as materials which are
capable of adsorbing substances onto their rigid surface. For instance, water-
silica gel and methanol-activated carbon pairs are of low pressure type.
6

Meanwhile, example of high pressure pairs are ammonia-activated carbon and
R134a-activated carbon. Most of the systems that utilise activated carbon as the
adsorbent are of the high pressure type. Saha, El-Sharkawy, Chakraborty and
Koyama (2007) found that most of the commercial adsorption cooling systems
utilise working pairs of water-silica gel, water-zeolite, ammonia-activated
carbon and ammonia-activated carbon fiber, as supported by Hassan et al.
Activated carbon is the most widely used adsorbent for refrigeration systems.
Askalany et al. (2013) found that the activated carbon powder (ACP) is a better
adsorbent compared to activated carbon fiber (ACF). Saha et al. agreed that, not
only they are better performance wise, they also prove to be a better option
financially. He also added that ACPs superior performance is due to its high
surface area, high apparent density and good heat conductivity. Then, Saha et al.
also proved experimentally that the adsorption capacity of Maxsorb III, the
highly porous activated carbon, is 1.7 times higher than that of ACF. So, it is
essential to choose the right pair of adsorbent-adsorbate pair for an efficient
cooling system. Saha et al. found that the adsorbent manufacturers only provide
the information of pores volume and surface area. Hence, Saha, Jribi, Koyama
and El-Sharkawy (2011) affirmed that it is important to evaluate the right
isotherm and isosteric heat of adsorption for an adsorbent-adsorbate pair in order
to design a good adsorption chiller. As in the case of isotherms, they are
explained further in the following section.

2.4 Isotherms
The sorption process is generally represented by empirical models known as
isotherms. It is represents the isothermal material sorption equilibrium on a
surface. In this case, sorption of a refrigerant (adsorbate) to an adsorbent. It
describes the amount of refrigerant material bound at the adsorbent surface as a
function of the material present in the refrigerant. The isotherm data is not
provided by the adsorbent manufacturers (Saha, Habib, El-Sharkawy, &
Koyama, 2009). Hence, they are attained by means of experimental work and the
subsequent data collected. The most common isotherms used are the Dubinin
Radushkevich (D-A) adsorption isotherm, the Langmuir isotherm, and the Toth
adsorption isotherm.

7

CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY


3.1 Key Milestone

Literature
Review
Preliminary study on the pressurised adsoprtion cooling
system available at present
Further understanding about the refrigeration cycle and the
utilisation of adsorption in cooling
Research
Further study for the best adsorbent-adsorbate pair under
specified working conditions from existing research
Collecting information about variables in adsorption
cooling system and their effect to the performance
Data
Gathering
Work on the isotherms of each adsorbent-adsorbate pair
collected from existing researches
Study the changes in system performance for varying
refrigerants using Maxsorb III as adsorbent
Data analysis
Results and discussions
Conclusion
Conclude the analytical study
Prepare documentation for interim report
8

3.2 Gantt Chart

Table 1: Gantt chart upon project completion
Tasks
Week
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Title Selection and Allocation

Submission of Title Selection Form

Preliminary Research Work

Preparing Extended Proposal

Submission of Extended Proposal



Proposal Defence



Data Analysis for the Best Adsorbent-
Adsorbate Pairs

Preparing Interim Report

Submission of Interim Draft Report



Submission of Final Interim Report



represents key milestones
represents current period
9

REFERENCES
Askalany, A. A., Saha, B. B., Uddin, K., Miyzaki, T., Koyama, S., Srinivasan, K., &
Ismail, I. M. (2013). Adsorption Isotherms and Heat of Adsorption of
Difluoromethane on Activated Carbons. Journal of Chemical & Engineering
Data, 58(10), 2828-2834. doi: 10.1021/je4005678
Chua, H., Ng, K., Malek, A., Kashiwagi, T., Akisawa, A., & Saha, B. (1999). Modeling
the performance of two-bed, silica gel-water adsorption chillers. International
Journal of Refrigeration, 22(3), 194-204.
Habib, K., Saha, B. B., Chakraborty, A., Koyama, S., & Srinivasan, K. (2011).
Performance evaluation of combined adsorption refrigeration cycles.
International Journal of Refrigeration, 34(1), 129-137.
Hassan, H., Mohamad, A., & Bennacer, R. (2011). Simulation of an adsorption solar
cooling system. Energy, 36(1), 530-537.
Jribi, S., Koyama, S., Saha, B. B. (2010). Performance Investigation of a Novel CO2
Compression-Adsorption Based Hybrid Cooling Cycle. Engineering Sciences
Reports, Kyushu University, 32(3), 12-18.
Loh, W. S., Saha, B. B., Chakraborty, A., Ng, K. C., & Chun, W. G. (2010).
Performance analysis of waste heat driven pressurized adsorption chiller.
Journal of Thermal Science and Technology, 5(2), 252-265.
Saha, B., El-Sharkawy, I., Chakraborty, A., & Koyama, S. (2007). Study on an
activated carbon fiber-ethanol adsorption chiller: part 1 - system description and
modeling. International Journal of Refrigeration, 30, 86-95.
Saha, B. B., Chakraborty, A., Koyama, S., Yoon, S.-H., Mochida, I., Kumja, M., Yap,
C., Ng, K. C. (2008). Isotherms and thermodynamics for the adsorption of n-
butane on pitch based activated carbon. International Journal of Heat and Mass
Transfer, 51(7), 1582-1589.
Saha, B. B., El-Sharkawy, I. I., Habib, K., Koyama, S., & Srinivasan, K. (2008).
Adsorption of equal mass fraction near an azeotropic mixture of
pentafluoroethane and 1, 1, 1-trifluoroethane on activated carbon. Journal of
Chemical & Engineering Data, 53(8), 1872-1876.
Saha, B. B., Habib, K., El-Sharkawy, I. I., & Koyama, S. (2009). Adsorption
characteristics and heat of adsorption measurements of R-134a on activated
carbon. International Journal of Refrigeration, 32(7), 1563-1569.
10

Saha, B. B., Jribi, S., Koyama, S., & El-Sharkawy, I. I. (2011). Carbon dioxide
adsorption isotherms on activated carbons. Journal of Chemical & Engineering
Data, 56(5), 1974-1981.