Performance analysis of control valves for a novel adsorption chiller with thermal energy storage

This study analyzed the control valve of an innovative solar-driven adsorption chiller, which regulates refrigerant flow during adsorption and desorption processes. The novelty of the system includes heat and mass recovery model working with thermal energy storage. Using Arduino Uno R3 and ANSYS Discovery, the control element of control loop was simulated and predicted by analyzing the valve's flow characteristics and thermal behaviour. The results showed good accuracy in time response for the on-and-off electromagnetic process. The optimal cycle times were determined as 360s for adsorption, 420s for desorption, and 50s for recovery model. The program code and simulation were then implemented into the hardware Arduino card to control the valve. The study found that the valve's structure and stroke were not affected by the maximum pressure and temperature of 9.989kPa and 120°C respectively. The amount of distortion energy obtained in terms of Von Mises stress was found to be 85100Pa. The results also showed a linear relationship between flow capacity and valve stroke, with a minimal pressure drop of 5× 10 -4 due to the small pipe diameter. Overall, this study can predict various scales adsorption chiller’s time response and control valve's behaviour using heat and mass recovery model. • Solenoid valve was designed for adsorption chiller’s flow control during heating and cooling phases. • The program code was written using Arduino IDE and the simulation circuit was performed in Proteus. • Thermal analysis presented with ANSYS predicted the distortion energy of the ductile materials. • Numerical result showed intrinsic linear characteristics of the flow capacity versus valve stroke