Performance Evaluation of Solar Driven Activated Carbon Fiber-Ethanol based Adsorption Cooling System in Malaysia

This study presented a theoretical analysis of the performance of a two-bed solar driven activated carbon fiber-ethanol adsorption chiller designed for Malaysian climate. This innovative adsorption chiller employs pitch based activated carbon fiber as adsorbent and ethanol as refrigerant. A simulation program has been developed for modeling and performance evaluation for the solar driven adsorption cooling cycle using the meteorological data of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The optimum cooling capacity and Coefficient of Performance (COP) are calculated in terms of adsorption/desorption cycle time and regeneration temperature. Results indicate that the adsorption chiller is feasible even when low-temperature heat source is available. Results also show that the adsorption cycle can achieve a cooling capacity of 12 kW when the heat source temperature is about 85°C.