Enhancing Adsorption Ice Maker Productivity using Beds of Aluminium Foam Packed with Activated Carbon

Abstract

The adsorption refrigeration system driven by solar energy is a promising sustainable solution to tackle the growing demand for cooling and meet environmental regulations as well. In addition, the increase in refrigeration needs is in phase with the increase in the abundant solar energy in the Middle East. This study aims at numerically investigating the utilize of a high adsorption performance material namely Maxsorb III, a type of activated carbon, packed in an advanced aluminium foam bed to produce ice from two-bed adsorption system. A detailed 2-D axisymmetric transient model considering mass, momentum, and energy balance equations coupled with isotherms and kinetic models in the adsorbent domain to describe the adsorption phenomena was developed and used for the simulations. Results of a typical packed bed using finned tube configuration were used as a base model to compare the performance enhancement. The aluminium foam-based system performance outperformed the base model in producing the ice by 16.8% at a high cycle time of 1200 s, regeneration temperature of 90°C, and foam thickness of 5 mm. Furthermore, the coefficient of performance and specific cooling power increased by 26.7% and 27.9%, respectively, driven by the considerable enhancement in the bed mass and heat transfer due to the use of metal foam.