Experimental study of solar adsorption refrigerator using a parabolic collector

Abstract

Several alternative energy sources have been developed; one of them is solar energy to overcome the future energy crisis. Solar energy can be used as a source of heat energy, used very much, one of which is on the adsorption cycle refrigerator. The adsorption cycle refrigerator tested has three main components, namely the parabolic collector, condenser, and evaporator. In this research, the three main components are made of aluminum because they have a high thermal conductivity value and are resistant to corrosion due to water or refrigerant used. The pairs of adsorbent and refrigerant used were active powder carbon of 10 kg and methanol of 3 liters. The research purpose is to determine the maximum temperature at the collector, the minimum temperature in the cooled water, collector efficiency, and the COP value of the system. The experiment procedure is by heating the solar collector from 08.00 AM-05.00 PM (GMT+7), while the natural cooling process takes place from 05.00 PM-08.00 AM (GMT+7). The results obtained that the maximum temperature of the collector is 126.56°C. The minimum temperature of the water is -0.09°C, the maximum parabolic collector efficiency is 53.39%, and the maximum COP value is 0.000956.