Zeolite cooling is especially suited for solar energy for several reasons:

• The process uses heat during charging, and releases heat when adsorbing, making it possible to
  
  a) store energy by ‘precharging’ Zeolite for later use, and,
  
  b) operate multiple units in tandem, with each unit continuously exchanging heat with the other.
   
• Relatively low heating temperatures are involved and only a ‘medium’ vacuum.
   
• Zeolite is cheap, safe, light, re-usable.

In our architecture, Zeolite cooling helps cool the cold work tank, and helps heat the hot work tank, making it easier to take in more air and at the same time get more work out of that air.

It is also configured in when refrigeration or ice-making is required, in which case it can use distilled water from the solar water still module.

What is Zeolite?

Zeolite is a common, porous mineral, used in washing powder, cattle feed, fishpond filtering, soil improvement.... and cooling....

Zeolite has an internal structure that has SUCH a high affinity to water vapor, that, in vacuum, it makes ice, in a reversible ‘adsorption’ process that freezes water on one side and releases heat on the other (Zeolite) side. The process is reversed by heating/drying the Zeolite.

This is nothing new. Especially in France and Germany, many projects have been developed around this subject, including recently a ‘self-cooling’ beer keg, and, more relevantly, this French ‘solar ice making’ facility in the 80’

For more information on Zeolite solar refrigeration, click here