• Energy Research

Abstract Numerous novel devices have already utilized desiccant coating to implement various functions, such as atmospheric water harvesting, energy storage, and thermal/humidity management. The mathematical models employed in former literature, for instance the finite-element or finite-volume models usually suffer significant drawbacks such as extreme complexity and time-consuming. To solve this problem, this paper outlines a general strategy to develop dynamic compact thermal models of the quasi-one-dimensional sorption-based systems in the virtue of the thermal resistance-capacitance network. To be specific, the mass transfer process induced by the adsorption/desorption process is equivalent to a heat/cooling source, therefore the coupled heat and mass transfer kinetics in the corresponding device can be evaluated simultaneously. Two comprehensive experimental prototypes in our previous literature are employed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed model. The results show that our model can forecast the transient thermal behavior of the devices accurately within a few seconds. The dynamic deviation of the system output, for instance the material temperature and outlet air humidity, between simulation and experiment is within 7%. Furthermore, a parametric study is conducted based on the proposed model to analyze the influence of key parameters on system performance, showing great potential for guiding the system design and optimization.

Abstract Numerous novel devices have already utilized desiccant coating to implement various functions, such as atmospheric water harvesting, energy storage, and thermal/humidity management. The mathematical models employed in former literature, for instance the finite-element or finite-volume models usually suffer significant drawbacks such as extreme complexity and time-consuming. To solve this problem, this paper outlines a general strategy to develop dynamic compact thermal models of the quasi-one-dimensional sorption-based systems in the virtue of the thermal resistance-capacitance network. To be specific, the mass transfer process induced by the adsorption/desorption process is equivalent to a heat/cooling source, therefore the coupled heat and mass transfer kinetics in the corresponding device can be evaluated simultaneously. Two comprehensive experimental prototypes in our previous literature are employed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed model. The results show that our model can forecast the transient thermal behavior of the devices accurately within a few seconds. The dynamic deviation of the system output, for instance the material temperature and outlet air humidity, between simulation and experiment is within 7%. Furthermore, a parametric study is conducted based on the proposed model to analyze the influence of key parameters on system performance, showing great potential for guiding the system design and optimization.

This study investigated cooling energy thermal concentration using radiative sky cooling materials coated on a thermally conductive substrate. We achieved 2000 W m−2 during nighttime and 1000 W m−2 during daytime, paving the way for low-carbon thermal management.

This study investigated cooling energy thermal concentration using radiative sky cooling materials coated on a thermally conductive substrate. We achieved 2000 W m−2 during nighttime and 1000 W m−2 during daytime, paving the way for low-carbon thermal management.