experimental study of solar-compatible adsorption refrigeration systems using calcium chloride and activated carbon for improved coefficient of performance and specific cooling power

This study presents a novel approach to optimizing adsorption refrigeration systems by integrating mass and heat recovery processes, using cacl₂ and activated carbon as adsorbent materials. the purpose of the test environment was to examine whether recovery mechanisms and temperature conditions affected the coefficient of performance (cop) and specific cooling power (scp). tests were conducted under controlled conditions, including a heating power of 3.6 kw and an evaporating temperature of approximately -20°c. the system reached 514.3 w/kg scp without recovery. mass recovery raised scp by 28.7% to 797.5 w/kg, while mass and heat recovery increased it by 70.8% to 1026.2 w/kg. cop values also increased, indicating energy efficiency. prior research explored cooling water temperatures (14°c–26°c) and changes in heating power (1.64–1.96 kw). with higher cooling water temperatures, scp dropped from 340 w/kg to 280.5 w/kg and cop from 0.14 to 0.10. heating power fluctuations reduced scp from 338 w/kg to 282 w/kg and cop from 0.14 to 0.10, demonstrating the system's thermal sensitivity. this work presents a rarely explored combination of cacl₂–activated carbon composite and integrated heat–mass recovery, demonstrating significant improvements in adsorption refrigeration performance for sustainable cooling.