Performance Evaluation of Phenol-Resin-Based Adsorbents for Heat Transformation Applications

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Thermodynamics
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Phenol resins (PRs) are cost-effective adsorbents derived from agricultural biomass.
• Their application in heat transformation, specifically adsorption cooling and heating, is underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate four phenol resin (PR) derivative/refrigerant pairs for adsorption cooling and heating.
• To assess the performance of these pairs using thermodynamic modeling and ideal cycle analysis.

Main Methods:

• Thermodynamic modeling including heat and mass balance equations.
• Adsorption equilibrium models were employed.
• Performance metrics like Specific Cooling Energy (SCE), Specific Heating Energy (SHE), and Coefficient of Performance (COP) were calculated.

Main Results:

• KOH6-PR/ethanol exhibited the highest SCE (1080 kJ/kg/cycle) and SHE (2141 kJ/kg/cycle) at specific regeneration and condenser temperatures.
• Maximum COP values reached 1.78 for heating and 0.80 for cooling.
• Performance varied with changes in condenser and evaporator pressures due to adsorption equilibrium.

Conclusions:

• Phenol resin derivatives, particularly KOH6-PR/ethanol, are effective for adsorption cooling and heating applications.
• The study provides valuable data for optimizing PR-based heat transformation systems.
• Further research into adsorption equilibrium is recommended for enhanced system performance.