Abstract: The adsorption cooling and heating cogeneration system driven by solar thermal energy can produce cold air and domestic water with a suitable temperature. It does not require a cooling water circuit and a cooling water pump but can meet the needs of miniaturized applications. In order to explore the operation performance and influencing factors of the system, an experimental study was conducted on a silica gel-water adsorption air cooler with two adsorption beds, a condenser and a gravity heat pipe evaporator. The dynamic operating characteristics of the cooler were obtained. The results show that the cooler can effectively utilize the solar hot water in the range of 62℃ to 85℃; the cooling capacity ranges from 0.95kW to 2.76kW; the system refrigeration coefficient of performance ranges from 0.24 to 0.46, and comprehensive coefficient of performance ranges from 1.48 to 2.40; and the optimal cycle time for a single cycle of the cooler is 750s. When the average inlet temperatures of hot water, cooling water, and cold air are respectively 85.1℃, 29.9℃, and 29.5℃, the average outlet temperatures of cold air and cooling water are respectively 22.4℃ and 40.1℃. The experimental results provide reliable information for the efficient use of solar energy to achieve cooling and heating cogeneration.

Key words: energy engineering, cooling and heating cogeneration, adsorption refrigeration, silica gel-water