Abstract
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•A solar adsorption refrigerator system using silicagel/water was built and tested in Algeria.•Reflecting surface technique for enhancing the heat transfer in adsorbent bed.•Characterization of the solar adsorption refrigeration cycle time.•Minimum evaporator temperature of +5°C and maximum solar COP of 0.09 are achieved.
The objective of the present work is to build and test a solar adsorption refrigeration device with an adsorbent–adsorbate silicagel–water pair in the weather conditions of Bou-Ismail, Algeria. The refrigeration system proposed in this study consists of three major components: a solar collector (tubular adsorbent bed, reflecting surface, single glazed cover, and 4.5kg of silicagel material), an air-cooled condenser, an evaporator and supplementary system components. The working operation parameters of the cooling adsorption system were tested successfully. Experimental results indicated that the maximum temperature generated varied from 95°C to 117°C, 33°C of average ambient temperature, the condensing temperature varied from 45°C to 53°C, +5°C of minimum evaporator temperature, and the pressure values recorded in the adsorbent bed during the heating desorption period varied from 80 to 100mbar. With a total energy received of around 19MJ/m2, this solar adsorption refrigeration device can provide a solar COP ranging from 0.083 to 0.09. Such results show the practicability of our solar adsorption refrigeration module and that it has a favorable design for use in medical storage in areas without an electrical network (e.g. the Algeria Sahara region).