Computational modeling of adsorption packed bed reactors and solar-driven adsorption cooling systems
Environmental concerns regarding climate change and ozone depletion urge for a paradigm shift in the cooling production. The cooling demand exhibits an alarmingly increasing trend, thus its satisfaction in a sustainable manner is imperative. Adsorption cooling systems (ACSs) are a potential candidat...
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| Tipo de recurso: | tesis doctoral |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2021 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | CBUC, CESCA |
| Repositorio: | TDR. Tesis Doctorales en Red |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:www.tdx.cat:10803/672099 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/10803/672099 https://dx.doi.org/10.5821/dissertation-2117-348907 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria mecànica 004 536 621 |
| Sumario: | Environmental concerns regarding climate change and ozone depletion urge for a paradigm shift in the cooling production. The cooling demand exhibits an alarmingly increasing trend, thus its satisfaction in a sustainable manner is imperative. Adsorption cooling systems (ACSs) are a potential candidate for a sustainable future of cooling production, since they can utilize solar energy or waste heat, as well as they can employ substances with zero ozone depletion and global warming potential. The objective of this thesis is to contribute to the investigation and improvement of ACSs, through the development of two computational models - which approach ACSs from different perspectives - and their respective utilization for the conduction of related numerical studies. The first research direction focuses on the design of the adsorption reactor, the most vital component of ACSs. Its geometrical configuration is determinant for the system performance. The reactor design is a crucial task since it creates a dichotomy between the two performance indicators - the Specific Cooling Power (SCP) and the Coefficient of Performance (COP). Individual optimizations based on the SCP and the COP would result in completely opposite geometrical configurations. A computational model for the simulation of adsorption packed bed reactors was developed, capable of simulating any potential reactor geometry. A multi-timestep approach is adopted, resulting in a drastic reduction of the computational cost of the simulations. Verification and validation assessments were performed in order to evaluate the reliability of the model. Two major studies were conducted within this research direction. The first aspires to provide a comparison between five reactor geometries, motivated by the lack of comparability across different studies in the literature. Thirteen cases of each geometry are simulated, by varying the fin thickness, fin length and solid volume fraction. The second study pertains to a thorough investigation of a geometry that remained underexplored hitherto - the hexagonal honeycomb adsorption reactor. A parametric study is conducted with respect to the three dimensions that define the geometry, as well as for various operating conditions. The second research direction is dedicated to the investigation of adsorption cooling systems, and in particular, to their integration within a wider thermal system, a solar-cooled building. Such integration is not straight-forward due to thermal inertia effects and the inherent cyclic operation of ACSs, as well as due to the dependence on an intermittent source and an auxiliary unit, with a clear objective to prioritize solar energy. A numerical model was developed using 1-d models for the adsorption reactors and 0-d models for the evaporator and condenser. The model is validated against experimental results found in the literature. The model is coupled to the generic optimization tool GenOpt, thus allowing the conduction of optimization studies. The ACS model is then coupled to solar collectors and thermal storage models, as well as to a building model. The latter was previously developed in the CTTC laboratory. This coupling results in a comprehensive simulation tool for adsorption-based solar-cooled buildings. A case study for a solar-cooled office is considered, with the objective to investigate the potential of satisfying its cooling demand using solar energy. A control strategy is proposed based on variable cycle duration, using optimized values for the instantaneous operating conditions. The variable cycle duration approach allows to satisfy the cooling demand using significantly less solar collectors or less auxiliary energy input. The potential carbon dioxide emissions avoidance is calculated between 28.1-90.7% with respect to four scenarios of electricity-driven systems of different performance and carbon emission intensity. |
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