The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM) has developed a chemical adsorption heat pump system that provides cooling using low-temperature waste heat at approximately 40°C (104°F). Developed with Chung-Ang University, the system combines a chemical adsorption heat pump with an electrochemical compressor designed to reduce electricity consumption, noise and vibration.
KIMM developed the chemical adsorption heat pump, while researchers led by Professors Minseong Kim and Dongkyu Kim at Chung-Ang University developed the electrochemical compressor. Samjung Tech Co., Ltd. manufactured a 10 kW-class prototype. The system demonstrated cooling operation with waste heat at 40°C (104°F), compared with conventional adsorption cooling systems that require heat sources above 70°C (158°F).
The research team redesigned the heat pump’s adsorption bed and achieved a specific cooling power (SCP) of 346.5 W/kg. According to KIMM, this is more than twice the performance of comparable international technologies. The system’s electrochemical compressor has no mechanical moving parts and generates virtually no noise or vibration. The researchers also advanced development of a large-area ammonia compressor.
The technology uses ammonia as a natural refrigerant and is expected to be applied to heating and cooling systems for data centers, factories and commercial buildings. KIMM said potential applications also include noise-sensitive environments such as hospitals, schools and residential areas.
“The most significant achievement of this research is the successful demonstration of cooling low-temperature waste heat at just 40°C from factories and data centers. We are currently conducting demonstration tests with a 10 kW-class prototype. Building on these tests, we plan to pursue further research to advance the technology for field demonstration,” said Dr. Young Kim, Principal Researcher at KIMM.
