Nishiyodo Air Conditioner Co., Ltd.

Hiroki Nakano

Masao Matsushita

Motoshi Yoshihara

Shin-ichi Okumura

Akiyoshi Sakai

Atsushi Morikawa

Yasuo Yonezawa

Kenzo Oku

Toshiya Ohnishi

Shin'ichi Okumura

A method of operating an adsorption refrigerator comprising two adsorption columns each housing therein a solid adsorbent and heat transfer tubes and sealed with a refrigerant, a condenser, an evaporator, paths for refrigerant connnecting the adsorption columns to the condenser and evaporator so that the refrigerant may be circulated through the columns, and a pipeline equipped with a valve connecting directly the adsorption columns, which method comprises changing over the adsorption columns periodically alternately between adsorption and desorption phases in manner that the one and the other adsorption columns are at opposite phases and that a heat transfer medium on a heat source side and a coolant are routed through alternately in response to desorption and adsorption phases, respectively. Shortly before one cycle of adsorption and desorption phases is terminated, the paths for refrigerant are shut off and the valve is opened, the adsorption and desorption phases are further advanced between the columns while continuing to supply the heat transfer medium and coolant, thereby to finish the cycle, and subesquently, the valve is closed to change over to a next cycle of just opposite phases. Thus refrigeration efficiency is increased.

Method of operating adsorption refrigerator

An adsorption thermal storage apparatus formed of an evacuated vessel comprising therein a refrigerant, and an adsorbent heating or cooling section and a refrigerant condensing or evaporating section located in communication with each other, the former section including an adsorbent and finned heat transfer tubes, the latter section including heat transfer tubes placed in dishes. An adsorption thermal storage system comprising the aforesaid apparatus; a heat source (e.g. a condenser of a compression refrigerator) for adsorbent heating; a cold source (e.g. an evaporator) for refrigerant condensation; an exothermic heat source (e.g. cooling tower); an endothermic heat source (e.g. air cooling coil); and a utilization equipment (e.g. air conditioner), the foregoing elements being connected so that during thermal storage period, the adsorbent heating or cooling section and the refrigerant condensing or evaporating section communicate with the heat source and the cold source, respectively, whereas during utilization period, the adsorbent section communicates with the exothermic heat source or heat utilization equipment and the refrigerant section communicates with cold utilization equipment or the endothermic heat source. By the desorption, the refrigerant is condensed and thermal energy is stored whereas cold is generated by latent heat of evaporation of the refrigerant liquid and heat, by adsorption heat of the refrigerant vapor, whereby heat and cold may be utilized singly or simultaneously.

Adsorption thermal storage apparatus and adsorption thermal storage

An adsorption refrigeration system comprising adsorption columns housing a solid adsorbent and heat transfer tubes and sealed with a refrigerant, an evaporator, a condenser, and pipe lines connecting them together so that the refrigerant may be circulated, the pipe lines being equipped with valves, preferably, butterfly valves, capable of opening or closing by means of internal pressure difference between the evaporator side and condenser side and driving force of eccentric valve shafts. The system is operated by alternatively changing over adsorption and desorption stages between the one adsorption column(s) and the other column(s) so that both columns may be at mutually reverse stages; shortly before change-over, transferring whole amount of heat remained in the one column(s) immediately before shifting from desorption to adsorption stage to the other column(s) immediately before shifting from adsorption to desorption stage where the preheat the adsorbent and then reversing the stages. The evaporator preferably comprises heat transfer tubes for passage of a heating medium on a utilization side arranged in multi-stage, evaporating plates holding the refrigerant liquid in which each stage of the tubes are partly immersed, and overflow members for adjusting the liquid level, whereby evaporating ebullition occurs briskly.

Adsorption refrigeration system

An adsorption refrigerator includes a vacuum vessel within which a required amount of refrigerant is hermetically filled, and there are housed a first finned tube for routing therethrough a heating medium on the heat source side, which tube has an adsorbent packed and held in fin interstices, and a second finned tube for routing therethrough a heating medium on the utilization side, which tube serves as a vaporizer and condenser. The refrigerator further may be provided, at the bottom portion of the vessel, with refrigerant heating means for heating and vaporizing the refrigerant during desorption. Otherwise, where the amount of refrigerant is adjusted, the refrigerator may be provided with refrigerant heating and cooling means for heating to vaporize the refrigerant during desorption and for cooling to condense refrigerant vapors, at the bottom portion of the vessel, and with a refrigerant reservoir for reception of the adjusted amount of refrigerant, which reservoir is connected through a line and valve to the bottom of the vessel, below the bottom of the vessel. The first finned tube preferably has a fin pitch of 1 to 10 mm and a fin height of 5 to 20 mm. With the refrigerator, even low-temperature fluid of less than 80.degree. C. may be utilized for the heat source-side heating medium.

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Neyagawa, Japan

Hiroki Nakano