Innovative Adsorption Chiller for Marine Applications: Design and Building

In this work, the design and building of an advanced adsorption chiller, developed for marine applications, is reported. The realization of this cooling system was financed by the T.E.S.E.O. (Efficient Technologies for Energy Sustainability and Environmental On Board) – P.O.N. (Research and Competition 2007/2013) project. The prototype, developed with the aim of increase the cooling power density (W/m3), has two main innovative features: a novel three-adsorbers, connected with a condenser and an evaporator, and a hybrid adsorber, with a coating of FAM AQSOA-Z02 and Silica Gel granis. The prototype was designed to produce a Cooling Power about 4 - 6 kW, as function of the operating conditions. A complex system of pipes and valves was realized to manage the external hydraulic circuits, allowing to automatically perform the adsorption cycles, controlled by a control system, realized by the LabVIEW software by National Instruments.