Simulation and experiments on a solid sorption combined cooling and power system driven by the exhaust waste heat

Abstract

A solid sorption combined cooling and power system driven by exhaust waste heat is proposed, which consists of a MnCl2 sorption bed, a CaCl2 sorption bed, an evaporator, a condenser, an expansion valve, and a scroll expander, and ammonia is chosen as the working fluid. First, the theoretical model of the system is established, and the partitioning calculation method is proposed for sorption beds. Next, the experimental system is established, and experimental results show that the refrigerating capacity at the refrigerating temperature of–10°C and the resorption time of 30 min is 1.95 kW, and the shaft power is 109.2 W. The system can provide approximately 60% of the power for the evaporator fan and the condenser fan. Finally, the performance of the system is compared with that of the solid sorption refrigeration system. The refrigerating capacity of two systems is almost the same at the same operational condition. Therefore, the power generation process does not influence the refrigeration process. The exergy efficiency of the two systems is 0.076 and 0.047, respectively. The feasibility of the system is determined, which proves that this system is especially suitable for the exhaust waste heat recovery.