WASHINGTON — Mitsubishi Plastics Inc., in collaboration with Union Industry Co. Ltd., has developed what it says is an easy-to-install compact adsorption chiller with an integrated cooling tower (cooling capacity of 10 kW). The chiller, which uses the zeolitic water vapor adsorbent AQSOA™, is capable of being incorporated into a solar water heater, making it possible to significantly reduce electricity use and save energy, says the company. Mitsubishi Plastics is now beginning to test-market the chiller in the United States.

Since 2008, Mitsubishi Plastics, headquartered in Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan, has been manufacturing parts, such as heat exchangers, coated with AQSOA, a zeolitic water vapor adsorbent that is able to efficiently release water vapor, even at relatively low temperatures, the company says. Since heat exchangers coated with AQSOA are able to reduce the consumption of energy, the parts are already being used in adsorption chillers (cooling capacity of 9-350 kW) in Japan and Europe.

According to Mitsubishi Plastics, this compact adsorption chiller can be used for cooling data centers or houses through the use of hot water from solar water heaters and cogeneration systems. It can also utilize waste heat in small industrial facilities.