Desiccant Adsorption Chillers

The principle of Adsorption works with the interaction of gases and solids. With adsorption chilling, the molecular interaction between the solid and the gas allow the gas to be adsorbed into the solid. The Adsorption chamber of the chiller is filled with solid material, silica gel, eliminating the need for moving parts and eliminating the noise associated with those moving parts. The silica gel creates an extremely low humidity condition that causes the water refrigerant to evaporate at a low temperature.

As the water evaporates in the evaporator, it cools the chilled water. The Adsorption Chiller has four chambers; an evaporator, a condenser and two Adsorption chambers. All four chambers are operated at nearly a full vacuum.

The Adsorption Chiller uses a simple refrigeration process

The chiller cycles the Adsorption chambers 1 and 2 between the processes of adsorbing and desorbing. In the figure above, the water vapour flashes off the surface of the tubes in the evaporator, creating the chilling effect captured in the output of chilled water. The water vapour enters Chamber 1 through the open ports in the bottom of the chamber and is adsorbed into the silica gel in Chamber 1. Cool water is circulated in this chamber to remove the heat deposited in Chamber 1 by the Adsorption process.

Hot water enters Chamber 2 to regenerate, or desorb, the silica gel while Chamber 1 is in the Adsorption process. The water vapour is driven from the silica gel by the hot water. The refrigerant water vapour rises to the condenser portion of the Adsorption Chiller where it is then condensed to a liquid state. The condenser water is recycled in a closed-loop to the bottom of the machine where it is immediately available for re-use.

As the machine cycles, the pressure in Chamber 1is slightly lower than in the evaporator chamber. A portion of the water refrigerant evaporates and moves to Chamber 1. Simultaneously, the pressure in Chamber 2 elevates slightly  as the water vapour is driven from the silica gel. The water vapour is then pushed to the condenser chamber where it is condensed back to the liquid state and returns to the evaporator chamber.

When the silica gel in Chamber 1 is saturated with water and the silica gel in Chamber 2 is dry, the machine’s process reverses. The first step is the opening of a valve between the two chambers, allowing the pressure to equalize. Then, cool water is sent through Chamber 2to transfer any residual heat to Chamber 1, which begins the heating process. The reversal is completed and the Adsorption in Chamber 2 commences while Chamber 1 is dried by the desorption heating.

The Adsorption Chiller is capable of operating within a wide range of temperatures. The machine self-regulates and balances the performance of the system by the control programs, shifting to the program best suited for the system conditions. For optimum performance of the Adsorption Chillers, the hot water should be 90°C (194°F), the cool water about 24°C to 35°C (75°F to 95°F) and the output cold water 7°C to 12°C (45°F to 55°F).

Adsorption Chiller

ADC Series C-FRAME

ADC Series D-FRAME

ADC Series E-FRAME

ADC Series -Ext E-FRAME

ADC Series F-FRAME

*Rated for maximum capacity mode. Higher efficiencies are available at reduced capacities.
*All data is preliminary and subject to change without notice.