Adsorption cooling system using carbon aerogel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11052375-B2
Application number	US-201213457338-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 26, 2012
Priority date	Apr 26, 2012
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

An adsorptive cooling system includes: a first highly adsorptive structure positioned to receive thermal energy from a thermal energy source, the first highly adsorptive structure including: a first substrate; and a first carbon aerogel adhered to the first substrate, a second highly adsorptive structure positioned to receive thermal energy from the thermal energy source, the second highly adsorptive structure including: a second substrate; and a second carbon aerogel adhered to the second substrate, a cooling unit; and a circulation system adapted for circulating the refrigerant from at least one of the first highly adsorptive structure and the second highly adsorptive structure to the cooling unit to provide cooling from the thermal energy source and to return the refrigerant from the cooling unit to at least one of the first highly adsorptive structure and the second highly adsorptive structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A product, comprising:
a highly adsorptive structure comprising:
a substrate; and
a carbon aerogel adhered to the substrate,

wherein the carbon aerogel is characterized by having physical characteristics of in situ formation on the substrate,
wherein the carbon aerogel is further characterized by a surface area of greater than 3000 m 2 /g;
wherein the substrate comprises a plurality of microchannels; and
wherein the physical characteristics of in situ formation on the substrate comprise the carbon aerogel being adhered to interior and exterior surfaces of the plurality of microchannels.

2. The highly adsorptive structure as recited in claim 1 , wherein the physical characteristics of in situ formation on the substrate comprise the carbon aerogel having an exterior surface substantially conformal to the substrate positioned adjacent thereto.

3. The highly adsorptive structure as recited in claim 2 , wherein the in situ formation comprises a casting process, and wherein the physical characteristics of in situ formation on the substrate comprise a volumetric reduction of the carbon aerogel.

4. The highly adsorptive structure as recited in claim 1 , wherein the carbon aerogel comprises a monolithic structure having a surface facing the substrate that is substantially conformal to the surface of the substrate adjacent thereto.

5. The highly adsorptive structure as recited in claim 1 , wherein the microchannels are defined by grooves in a surface of the substrate nearest the carbon aerogel, wherein the surface of the substrate having the grooves is corrugated, and wherein the grooves provide ingress and egress paths for a refrigerant.

6. The highly adsorptive structure as recited in claim 1 , wherein surfaces of the highly adsorptive structure have deposited thereon one or more conformal films, each conformal film independently comprising of one or more materials selected from a group consisting of: W, Ru, Pt, Cu, TiO 2 , and ZnO.

7. The highly adsorptive structure as recited in claim 1 , wherein surfaces of the highly adsorptive structure have deposited thereon nanoparticles of one or more materials selected from a group consisting of: TiO 2 , and ZnO.

8. The highly adsorptive structure as recited in claim 1 , wherein the microchannels are defined by inner and outer surfaces of a plurality of microcapillaries of the substrate; and
wherein the microcapillaries provide ingress and egress paths for a refrigerant.

9. The highly adsorptive structure as recited in claim 1 , wherein the carbon aerogel is biased toward the substrate for increasing a thermal conductivity between the carbon aerogel and the substrate.

10. The highly adsorptive structure as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a refrigerant adsorbed to the carbon aerogel, wherein the refrigerant desorbs from the carbon aerogel at a temperature of less than 90° C.

11. The product as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
a container enclosing the highly adsorptive structure, the container having an opening configured for ingress and egress of a refrigerant; and
a circulation system configured to circulate the refrigerant to and from the highly adsorptive structure.

12. An adsorptive cooling system comprising:
a first highly adsorptive structure positioned to receive thermal energy from a thermal energy source, the first highly adsorptive structure comprising:
a first substrate; and
a first carbon aerogel adhered to the first substrate,

a second highly adsorptive structure positioned to receive thermal energy from the thermal energy source, the second highly adsorptive structure comprising:
a second substrate; and
a second carbon aerogel adhered to the second substrate,

a blocking system configured to selectively block the first highly adsorptive structure and/or the second highly adsorptive structure from receiving thermal energy from the thermal energy source;
a cooling unit; and
a circulation system configured to circulate a refrigerant from the first highly adsorptive structure and/or the second highly adsorptive structure to the cooling unit to provide cooling from the thermal energy source and to return the refrigerant from the cooling unit to the first highly adsorptive structure and/or the second highly adsorptive structure,
wherein the first carbon aerogel is structurally characterized by having a bimodal porosity and physical characteristics of in situ formation on the first substrate,
wherein the second carbon aerogel is structurally characterized by having a bimodal porosity and physical characteristics of in situ formation on the second substrate, and
wherein the first substrate comprises a first plurality of microchannels, and the second substrate comprises a second plurality of microchannels,
wherein the first carbon aerogel is adhered to an interior and/or exterior surface of the first plurality of microchannels and the second carbon aerogel is adhered to an interior and/or exterior surface of the second plurality of microchannels,
wherein the first plurality of microchannels are defined by: grooves in a surface of the first substrate nearest the first carbon aerogel and/or surfaces of a plurality of microcapillaries of the first substrate,
wherein the second plurality of microchannels are defined by: grooves in a surface of the second substrate nearest the second carbon aerogel and/or surfaces of a plurality of microcapillaries of the second substrate,
wherein the first plurality of microchannels and the second plurality of microchannels each independently provide ingress and egress paths for a refrigerant; and
wherein the first carbon aerogel and the second carbon aerogel are each independently characterized by a surface area of greater than 3000 m 2 /g.

13. The adsorptive cooling system as recited in claim 12 ,
wherein the thermal energy source is selected from the group consisting of: the sun, a
heating element, and waste heat; and
wherein the blocking system is selected from the group consisting of: a louvered shade, a shutter shade, and an electronic light blocking system.

14. An adsorptive cooling system comprising:
a first highly adsorptive structure positioned to receive thermal energy from a thermal energy source, the first highly adsorptive structure comprising:
a first substrate; and
a first carbon aerogel adhered to the first substrate, the first carbon aerogel comprising a monolithic structure having a bimodal pore distribution and a surface facing the first substrate that is substantially conformal to the surface of the first substrate adjacent thereto,

a second highly adsorptive structure positioned to receive thermal energy from the thermal energy source, the second highly adsorptive structure comprising:
a second substrate; and
a second carbon aerogel adhered to the second substrate, the second carbon aerogel comprising a monolithic structure having a bimodal pore distribution and a surface facing the second substrate that is substantially conformal to the surface of the second substrate adjacent thereto; and

a cooling unit; and
a circulation system configured to:
circulate a refrigerant from the first highly adsorptive structure and/or the second highly adsorptive structure to the cooling unit to provide cooling from the thermal energy source; and
return the refrigerant from the cooling unit to the first highly adsorptive structure and/or the second highly adsorptive structure;

wherein the first carbon aerogel and the second carbon aerogel are each characterized by a surface area of greater than 3000 m 2 /g,
wherein the adsorptive cooling system is characterized by a

Assignees

• Baumann Theodore F
• Satcher Jr Joe H
• Farmer Joseph C
• L Livermore Nat Security Llc

Inventors

• Baumann Theodore F
• Satcher Jr Joe H
• Farmer Joseph C

Classifications

• B01J20/2804

  Sheets with a specific shape, e.g. corrugated, folded, pleated, helical · CPC title

• C09K5/047

  for absorption-type refrigeration systems · CPC title

• B01J20/20 Primary

  comprising free carbon; comprising carbon obtained by carbonising processes · CPC title

• B01J20/28066

  being more than 1000 m2/g · CPC title

• F25B17/083

  with two or more boiler-sorbers operating alternately · CPC title