Thermodynamic feasibility of solar-assisted absorption cooling

Abstract

Solar cooling is probably among the most promising ways for solar energy utilization in near future. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the thermodynamic feasibility of operating the solar absorption system for space cooling. The thermodynamic analysis is performed for various ranges of the operation parameters selected to conform to typical climatic conditions of Turkey. At the beginning of the study, both ammonia-water and lithium-bromide-water absorption systems have been considered. The lithium-bromide-water system is preferred since it has become more popular for air conditioning applications. The most important advantage of lithium-bromide-water absorption system is that,it operates satisfactorily at generator temperatures of 85 to 90°C, achievable by a flat plate collector. A theoratical model is developed to investigate the characteristics of a lithium-bromide-water absorption type refrigeration cycle. A computer program is developed to find the design conditions of this system. Another computer program is developed to calculate the amount of useful heat energy that can be obtained from flat plate solar collectors. Combined system consists of a flat plate solar collector, generator, condensor, evaporator, absorber and economizer. The results indicate that the lithium-bromide-water absorption system combined with flat plate solar collectors may provide energy savings in considerable amounts.