A study on large-scale solar adsorption refrigeration systems for rural areas in Thailand

In this work, we are the first to design a large-scale solar adsorption refrigeration system without electricity usage in Thailand. We constructed the refrigerator with a large flat-plate solar collector and stainless-steel adsorbers with a large size of an evaporator in cooling chamber. Coconut-based activated carbon and methanol were used as a working pair for the system. The solar refrigerator was installed in a rural area for testing. The results showed that our solar collector can collect solar radiation and transfer sunlight to heat for the system, it was observed that the highest temperature on the adsorber surface was about 110 ° C, and the cooling effect that the system produced lasted for 3 hours. Moreover, ice could be observed on the outside pipe of the refrigerator, which indicated the feasibility and performance of large-scale solar refrigerators or large-scale solar ice maker fabrication in response to the green technology trend for cooling innovation that does not require electricity. • The first large-scale solar adsorption refrigerator has designed for rural areas in Thailand, operating without electricity. • The maximum adsorber temperature achieved by our flat plate solar collector is 110 °C. • The refrigerator's coefficient of performance in the first cycle is 0.354 with ice formation. • Observations of the large-scale solar adsorption refrigerator without electricity were conducted for further improvement.