Experimental results of an activated carbon–HFC 134a adsorption cooling system for thermal management of electronics

Results of performance measurement of a small cooling capacity laboratory model of an adsorption refrigeration system for thermal management of electronics are compiled. This adsorption cooler was built with activated carbon as the adsorbent and HFC 134a as the refrigerant to produce a cooling capacity under 5 W using waste heat up to 90 °C. The thermal compression process is obtained from an ensemble of four solid sorption compressors. Parametric study was conducted with cycle times of 16 and 20 min, heat source temperatures from 73 to 87 °C and cooling loads from 3 to 4.9 W. Overall system performance is analyzed using two indicators, namely, cooling effectiveness and normalized exergetic efficiency.

► Performance test results of an activated carbon + HFC 134a adsorption cooler.
► Even four adsorbers result in fluctuating flow but with little effect on load management.
► Definition of a cooling index that evaluates how well the cooling system has performed.
► Performance assessment with the product of exergetic efficiency and the cooling index.