Abstract
The present study reports the experimental results of a parabolic trough collector field and an absorption cooling system with a nominal capacity of 5 kW, which operates with the ammonia-lithium nitrate mixture. The parabolic trough collectors’ field consists of 15 collectors that are made of aluminum plate in the reflector surface and cooper in the absorber tube, with a total area of 38.4 m2. The absorption cooling system consists of 5 plate heat exchangers working as the main components. Parametric analyses were carried out to evaluate the performance of both systems under different operating conditions, in independent way. The results showed that the solar collectors’ field can provide up to 6.5 kW of useful heat to the absorption cooling system at temperatures up to 105 °C with thermal efficiencies up to 19.8% and exergy efficiencies up to 14.93, while the cooling system operated at generation temperatures from 85–95 °C and condensation temperatures between 20 and 28 °C, achieving external coefficients of performance up to 0.56, cooling temperatures as low as 6 °C, and exergy efficiencies up to 0.13. The highest value for the solar coefficient of performance reached 0.07.
Highlights
During the last decades, the energy demand required to activate the conventional air-conditioning systems has increased due to the growing population
Reported the performance of an absorption cooling system operating with a NaOH-H2 O mixture and using as a hybrid heat source a parabolic trough plant coupled with a low enthalpy geothermal heat system, the results showed the average experimental storage tank temperature achieved by the parabolic trough plant was 93.8 ◦ C and the coefficient of performance (COP) was calculated as 0.71, under design conditions
The present study shows the results of the developed absorption cooling system operating at controlled conditions at the Instituto de Energías Renovables (IER), and the development and assessment of the parabolic-trough solar collectors, installed at the CIICAp
Summary
The energy demand required to activate the conventional air-conditioning systems has increased due to the growing population. Reported the performance of an absorption cooling system operating with a NaOH-H2 O mixture and using as a hybrid heat source a parabolic trough plant coupled with a low enthalpy geothermal heat system, the results showed the average experimental storage tank temperature achieved by the parabolic trough plant was 93.8 ◦ C and the COP was calculated as 0.71, under design conditions. As it was stated before, the conventional mixtures have some well-known disadvantages, a project titled “CEMIE-Sol” was conceived in Mexico in order to develop a solar absorption cooling system operating with the alternative working mixture ammonia/lithium nitrate, which can be used for air conditioning and for refrigeration applications. It is necessary to mention that the evaluation of both systems was carried out in such a way that the exit conditions of the solar collectors were, in turn, the entry conditions of the absorption system, in such
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
