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Updated: Apr 24, 2026

Experimental System of Solar Adsorption Refrigeration with Concentrated Collector
Published on: October 18, 2017
Thermodynamic analysis of a Rankine cycle powered vapor compression ice maker using solar energy
Bing Hu1, Xianbiao Bu2, Weibin Ma2
1Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Key Laboratory of Renewable Energy, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China ; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Abstract:
To develop the organic Rankine-vapor compression ice maker driven by solar energy, a thermodynamic model was developed and the effects of generation temperature, condensation temperature, and working fluid types on the system performance were analyzed. The results show that the cooling power per square meter collector and ice production per square meter collector per day depend largely on generation temperature and condensation temperature and they increase firstly and then decrease with increasing generation temperature. For every working fluid there is an optimal generation temperature at which organic Rankine efficiency achieves the maximum value. The cooling power per square meter collector and ice production per square meter collector per day are, respectively, 126.44 W m(-2) and 7.61 kg m(-2) day(-1) at the generation temperature of 140 °C for working fluid of R245fa, which demonstrates the feasibility of organic Rankine cycle powered vapor compression ice maker.
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