Plastic 3D Printing in Adsorption Cooling: A Proof-of-Principle Module

Abstract

Plastic 3D printing allows the replacement of metal parts in a water/silica gel adsorption heat transformer module and its rapid manufacturing at low cost. This research investigates a simple design using three finned metal heat exchangers (HEXs) enclosed in one plastic 3D-printed vessel. The dynamics of a conventional packed bed adsorber of Siogel silica gel grains with thermal response method is first identified to establish a benchmark case and allow to focus only on the challenges introduced by plastic 3D printing. Final testing of the device across a range of operating conditions and cycle times representative of cooling, desalination, and intermediate shows the adsorber follows an unconventional thermodynamic cycle. Generation of larger powers is achievable by coupling multiple small modules.