Modeling and experimental investigation of a pilot-scale adsorption chiller using low-temperature heat from cogeneration.

Adsorption technology enables the construction of chillers that can be fed with low-temperature cogeneration and solar or waste heat sources. In comparison with absorption chillers, adsorption devices have unique advantages such as the utilization of heat sources which are characterized by lower temperatures. This paper presents a thermodynamic model of a three-bed adsorption chiller. The chiller has been commissioned by Wrocław Technology Park and is instrumented in a way that allows the full identification of important thermodynamic and operational parameters such as COP, switching time, temperature and pressures of the adsorption and desorption processes, as well as water condensation. The nominal cooling capacity of the chiller is 90 kW and provides cooling power at two temperature levels of about 14 and 8°C. The experimental results of a long-term chiller investigation are presented. It has been demonstrated that the chiller can be driven by hot water at 65°C, which is a typical cogeneration heating temperature in distributed systems.