RAPID-CYCLING SOLAR BIOMASS POWERED ADSORPTION REFRIGERATION SYSTEM/

There is a need for heat operated refrigeration systems in areas of th e world which have a warm climate and also have no firm electricity su pply. Research is underway on carbon - ammonia refrigerators driven by the heat of steam condensing in a thermosyphon heat pipe. The heat so urce can be solar energy, biomass, or some combination of the two. New monolithic carbon adsorbent-aluminium composites have been developed which promise power densities of 1kW cooling per kg carbon. The high p ower density leads to much lower first costs. (C) 1998 Elsevier Scienc e Ltd. All rights reserved.