raw · papers · ingested 2026-07-02
Experimental Data on a Solar-Powered Ice Maker Using Activated Carbon and Methanol (Pons & Guilleminot, J. Solar Energy Eng. 1987)
confidence: high
Source: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/solarenergyengineering/article-abstract/109/4/303/441814
Source: Pons & Guilleminot, J. Solar Energy Engineering 109(4):303 (1987). Canonical primary; abstract accessible, full text paywalled. Credibility: High — the foundational citation for the carbon/methanol solar ice-maker.
Key points
- Design: 6 m² flat-plate collectors, ~130 kg activated carbon (4×1.5 m²), air-cooled condensers; the collector plate is the adsorber.
- Output: 30–35 kg ice/sunny day; ~6 kg ice per m² collector at ~20 MJ/m²/day; ice at −3 °C.
- Solar COP ≈ 0.12 (captation 0.38 × gross cycle 0.43).
- Cycle (intermittent, no moving parts, no electricity): day → sun desorbs methanol, vapor condenses; night → bed cools, re-adsorbs, methanol boils in evaporator → freezes water.
- The reference lineage for every field replication.