Research and development of solar-powered desiccant refrigeration for cold-storage applications /|cby ..., S. C. Bhattacharya and Y. R. Upadhyaya | |
| Author | Exell, Robert H. B. |
| Call Number | AIT Research Report no. 265 |
| Subject(s) | Solar energy research Refrigeration and refrigerating machinery--Research |
| Note | A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for a Degree of Master of Engineering, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Studies have been made of the intennittent zeolite-water and charcoal-methanol adsorption refrigeration systems for possible use in solar powered cold storage units in tropical rural areas. A commercially made intennittent zeolite-water refrigerator was tested and found not to perfonn well, possibly due to damage in transit. Attention was then directed to the experimental detennination of charcoal-methanol adsorption properties using activated carbon samples imported from the United Kingdom and samples made in Thailand. One of the imported types of activated carbon was then used in a solar refrigerator designed, constructed and tested in the Asian Institute of Technology. The solar collector, of area one square metre, contained the activated carbon from which methanol was distilled by day and onto which methanol was readsorbed at night. The perfonnance of the solar part of the system exceeded our expectations. The unit was able to produce 4kg of ice at -4°C by the evaporation of the distilled methanol after a clear day. An economic evaluation suggested that such refrigerators could be less expensive than solar photovoltaic refrigerators currently used for vaccine storage and freezing ice packs in remote areas. |
| Year | 1993 |
| Type | Research Report |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Other Field of Studies (No Department) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Energy Technology (ET) |
| Chairperson(s) | Bhattacharya, Sribas C.; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Upadhyaya, Y. R.; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Final report sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT); |
| Degree | Research Report (M. Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1993 |