A state-of-the-art review on thermochemical cooling system

Higher global temperatures or warm spells, improved building insulation/air tightness and the use of in-house heat generating appliances being among the main factors that lead to higher demand of air conditioning. However, most commercial air-conditioning units operate ranging from traditional air-conditioning to vapor compression-based system. Researchers have shown significant advantages that compared to the common vapor compression cooling system, thermochemical energy storage system is more energy efficient and environmentally friendly heating/cooling system. This paper presents a review on the state of the art of thermochemical cooling technologies and applications. It includes discussions on the thermochemical cooling systems, materials, the COP and performance (such as capacity and efficiency) of the cooling system based on the materials. The review shows that thermochemical cooling system is cost effective solution to provide a thermal comfort to improve living condition of people in hot and dry climates. Whilst most of the existing thermochemical cooling technologies are closed-based, at the end of this paper, an innovative open thermochemical cooling approach of endothermic-based reaction is proposed and discussed. Initial screening and characterization results of the developed composite thermochemical energy storage materials are also presented to give an overview of the materials for cooling applications.