A heat pipe type adsorption refrigerator system is proposed and investigated, which can be powered by solar energy or waste heat of engine. The study assesses the performance of compound adsorbent (CaCl2 and activated carbon)-ammonia adsorption refrigeration cycle with different orifice sets and different mass and heat recovery processes by experimental prototype machine. Specific cooling power (SCP) and coefficient of performance (COP) were calculated with experimental data to analyze the influences of operating condition. The results show that the jaw opening of the hand needle nozzle can influence the adsorption performance obviously and the thermostatic expansion valve (TEV) is effective in the intermediate cycle time in the adsorption refrigeration system. The SCP of the cycle with the mass-heat recovery together (combined recovery process) is superior to that of the conventional cycles with mass recovery or heat recovery independently. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.