Experimental testing of a novel activated carbon/ethanol refrigerator

In the present work, the experimental characterization of a 0.5 kW prototype of a refrigerator employing activated carbon/ethanol as working pair is presented. The developed prototype employs an optimized adsorber, designed according to the results of kinetic tests performed by a G-LTJ system installed atCNR- ITAE. Full performance mapping has been realized by means of a specific testing bench available at CENTROPROVE of CNR-ITAE. Boundary working conditions were evaluated, in terms of desorption, condensation and evaporation temperatures for refrigeration applications (e.g. food storage). Furthermore, advanced cycles have been evaluated to assess the enhancement in COP measured achievable. High specific cooling power, up to 100 W/kg were achieved and, at the lowest evaporation temperatures investigated (< -5°C), SCP of 50 W/kg were obtained. Heat recovery implementation allowed for an increased COP up to 30% more than reference cycle.