Design of an innovative graphite exchanger for adsorption heat pumps and chillers

In this work, an innovative adsorber for application in adsorption heat pumps and chillers is presented. The adsorber consists of several assembled graphite plates and the flow path of heat transfer fluid. Each plate consists of a process side (where zeolite is deposited onto) and a heat transfer fluid (HTF) side where liquid water flows. The resulting adsorbent heat exchanger is able to deliver about 0.5-1 kW cooling power and possesses attractive thermo physical properties, especially in term of low weight, volume and thermal capacity. Experimental testing of the full-scale adsorber by a testing station available at CNR ITAE is currently ongoing.