Performance analysis of an adsorption refrigerator using activated carbon in a compound adsorbent

To improve the performance of the adsorption refrigeration of CaCl₂-ammonia adsorption system, activated carbon has been distributed uniformly in the mass of CaCl₂, thereby helping to enhance mass transfer and uplift the cooling power density. A multifunctional heat pipe adsorption refrigerator, in which activated carbon-CaCl₂ is used as compound adsorbent and ammonia as refrigerant, is designed. Water and acetone are used as working liquids for the heat pipe. This paper presents a study on the adsorption refrigeration performances of this adsorption refrigerator under two different working conditions, ice-maker for fishing boat driven by the waste heat from exhaust gases, and solar ice-maker driven by solar water heating. The obtained average SCP (specific cooling power) and the COP (coefficient of performance) of the refrigerator were measured to be 770.4 W/kg and 0.39 at about −20 °C of evaporating temperature for the former working condition, and they were 161.2 W/kg and 0.12 at about −15 °C of evaporating temperature for the later working condition.