Simulation of the Silica Gel-Water Adsorption Chillers

A mathematical model describing the behaviors of current commercialized silica gel-water adsorption chillers is presented in this study. Comparing with the previous study, this model comprises (i) a realistic representation of the thermal mass of the associated piping materials and fins; (ii) a distributed modeling of the reactor bed for the sorption processes. The model is demonstrated on a two-bed adsorption chiller with circular fin sorption heat exchanger. A comparison of simulated results and experimental data shows that good agreement can be achieved when a realistic time constant for temperature sensors has been considered. Thereafter, the chiller performance is analyzed and discussed for a two-bed adsorption chiller. A detailed study on the 4-bed adsorption chiller with rectangular fin heat exchanger is currently being carried out.