Study on Solar Powered Air Conditioning System
Abstract:
The chapter presents recent studies focusing on optimizing the efficiency of air-conditioning (AC)
systems using solar energy. For this purpose, several advanced AC plants (absorption, adsorption, and
desiccant) are designed. Their technology and components are described in this chapter. It also discusses
the energy intake of the solar energy use in air-conditioning, especially in rural regions where the
electricity shortage is frequent, as well as the reduction of the energy costs and the pollution rate. A
comparison between solar AC systems and traditional AC systems at the level of the designs, costs, and
effectiveness is made at the end of the chapter.
1. Introduction:
In recent years, the demand for comfort has been accentuated due to the
earth’s changing climate. Therefore, the use of air-conditioning systems is
increased, which leads to higher costs and consumption of energy. It also
significantly contributes to the global warming. For instance, in the United
States, air conditioners use about 6% of the entire electricity produced, at an
annual cost of about $ 29 billion to homeowners. Consequently, roughly 117
million metric tons of CO2, per year, are released into the atmosphere. On the
other hand, 40% of energy consumption and 36% of CO2 emissions in the EU
are caused by buildings, according to the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP). As a result, an increasing interest has been concentrated
on the design of modern sustainable AC systems powered by renewables,
especially the solar energy that is a universally inexhaustible natural and
clean resource [1]. Hence, it can offer a reduction of the consumption, the
demand, and the costs of energy, without decreasing the desired comfort.
These systems allow converting the solar thermal energy (in the form of heat)
into conditioned air and sometimes chilling storage water. They are
outstandingly used in residential and other sectors (offices, hotels,
restaurants, storage warehouses, schools, hospitals, etc.) [2], what makes
them classified among the most energy consumers.
The present chapter reviews recent studies focusing on three technologies of
solar AC systems: absorption, adsorption, and desiccant systems.
OBJECTIVES :
1. Our focus is on implementation of measures for an accelerated market
introduction of solar air conditioning and refrigeration with focus on
improved components and system concepts.
2. Development of pre-engineered system concepts for small and medium
size systems and development of optimized and standardized schemes for
custom made systems so that this system can be easy to install and to use.
3. The use of solar air conditioning can be encouraged and fortify by
explaining beneficiary points of use of solar air conditioning over
conventional air conditioning.
4. To create awareness regarding various benefits of solar air conditioning
systems over conventional air conditioning systems. This can be achieved by
explaining to consumers the cost of maintenance of solar air conditioning
systems and conventional air conditioning systems.
5. To help conserve our environment by implementing a solar powered air
conditioning system. As solar air conditioning makes use of replenishable
energy sources it helps to reduce direct effects on our environment.
ADVANTAGES:
1. Solar air conditioning provides us a great pack of benefits, which lead us
in many ways in our life. Installation of solar air conditioning expenses
required is much less than normal installation of air conditioning which can
be reduce through tax credits, deductions and refunds.
2. In solar air conditioning the use of harmful chemicals like Freon or other
chemicals are not used which further avoids release of harmful chemicals in
the environment. Solar air Conditioning system eliminates the need for CFC,
HCFC or HFC refrigerants.
3. Solar air condition system proves economical on long run as electricity is
generated using solar panels. As we don’t have to pay for sun rays generation
of electricity is very affordable resulting in low running cost.
4. Solar air condition system doesn’t cause any pollution. As environment
friendly refrigerants such as R22-Hydro chlorofluorocarbon& R410- Hydro
fluorocarbon are used, it prevents from causing pollution. As emission of
harmful chemicals like CFC & HCFC which cause ozone depletion is
reduced pollution causing is eliminated.
5. Sunlight is free of cost. Of course, there is the initial investment for
system’s equipment. After that initial investment paid, you won’t receive any
bill for rest of your life from this electrical utility.
6. No matter how large area is as long as sun shines in that particular area,
electricity can be generated from solar power. Areas where electricity power
cable is inaccessible, electricity can be produce with help of solar power.
Solar panels are used to generate electricity effectively so need of other
pollution causing ways to generate electricity are avoided.
7. At night batteries are charge with help of solar power so that solar powered
devices can be used. Electricity generated using solar panels can be stored in
batteries in form of DC (Direct current). This stored electricity can be used
during night, during cloudy condition, etc.
2. Solar absorption systems
The harmful effects of conventional AC systems (use of environmentally
unfriendly refrigerants; CO2 emission) and their high primary energy
consumption lead scientists to invest in clean energy resources, especially the
solar energy [3]. The absorption technology is the most used in
air-conditioning [4, 5, 6]. It uses an absorber and a generator instead of the
compressor. Therefore, no electrical power is needed to pressurize the
refrigerant (water or ammonia) [7]. In fact, the refrigerant is first absorbed in
an absorbing material and then pressurized in the absorbed liquid phase. The
pressurized absorption mixture is then reheated in a solar-powered generator
to regenerate the pressurized refrigerant vapor. After that, it is deliquesced in
the condenser in order to become liquid, which is then expanded through an
expansion valve. The chilled refrigerant causes the cooling effect in the
evaporator. Finally, the refrigerant is transferred to the absorber and a new
cycle is beginning. Thereby, absorption systems contribute to reducing the
greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere and the energy costs.
Nonetheless, they have a low coefficient of performance (COP) (between
about 0.3 and 0.75 according to the cooling capacity) compared with the
electrical vapor compression AC systems that their COP can reach up to 3
[7].
The operating principle of a solar air-conditioning system is illustrated in
Figure 1.
Several research studies around the world aimed to design various modern
solar-powered plants with energy storage. They allow minimizing the
environmental effects and satisfying the energy demand [4, 8, 9]. We find
single-stage or double-stage absorption systems with and without
crystallization [4]. The single-stage systems are equipped with two heat
exchangers and two or three storage tanks. However, the double-stage
systems are different from the preview systems by adding the two pairs of
absorber/generator and evaporator/condenser. In addition, the crystallization
process occurs when the refrigerant undergoes three-phase transformation
(solid: usually crystallized salt, liquid, and vapor) [4]. Furthermore, these
plants and their performance are closely linked to the climatic conditions
(especially solar irradiance) of the regions where they are installed. For
instance, Mediterranean countries are characterized by a hot climate, which
encourages the use of solar air-conditioning systems [5]. In fact, Tunisia
widely invests in solar energy that this country is characterized by a sunny
climate over long periods of the year [10]. In this reference, an absorption
solar installation is applied to a room of 150 m2 to minimize the energy
consumption during the summer. It consists of a water-lithium bromide
absorption chiller having a capacity of 11 kW, a flat-plate solar collector
having an area of 30 m2, and a hot water storage tank having a volume of 0.8
m3. The simulation results showed that the COP reached 0.725 for a cooling
capacity of 16.5 kW as long as the heat source temperature increases, which
causes the growth of the heat transfer between the system exchangers and
then the quantity of heat distributed in the surroundings [11]. Moreover,
another study analyzed the energy performance of a solar air-conditioning
office building that maximum monthly consumes about 380 kWh [12]. It
consists of insulating the walls and cooling the roof. Hence, it allows
reaching an energy saving of 46 and 80% in winter and summer, respectively,
as well as, reducing the cooling load from 14.09 to 8.68 kW. In the same
framework, the studies [13, 14] aimed to improve the efficiency of a solar
installation equipped with parabolic solar collectors (having an area of 39
m2), an absorption chiller associated with a cooling tower, a backup heater,
two tanks for storage and drain-back storage, and a set of fan coils installed in
the building to be cooled [14]. The synoptic scheme presenting the main
components of the proposed cooling system is illustrated in Figure 2,
according to Ref. [14].
The analysis of the system performance showed that the absorption chiller
output could reach up to about 12 kW. Also, its COP is ranged between about
0.8 and 0.9 [15]. Furthermore, it allowed reducing the CO2 emission of about
3000 kg during hot seasons and reaching an energy saving of 1154 l of gasoil.
This type of solar air-conditioning plants was reviewed in Ref. [16] and
performed in the investigation [17] for cooling and heating office buildings in
Greece. It is characterized by lower thermal losses, high efficiency, and a
small collecting surface of about 14 m2. An energy saving of up to 50% can
be obtained [17]. Nonetheless, the installation costs are higher (about 924
€/m2 of the solar collector), especially for large areas [17]. Moreover, the
maintenance is frequent and also expensive. Reference 18 reports the
performance statistics of a solar AC system constituted by thermal parabolic
collectors (having an area of 588 m2) and a double-effect absorption chiller.
The system has an annual average efficiency of 40% and a peak efficiency of
58% [18]. It also allows chilling water contained in a storage tank of 23.000 l
that is used as a buffer tank. The annual average COP of the absorption
chiller, which is a water-cooled double-effect chiller, can reach 1.1.
Nonetheless, its costs are very high and reach up to $ 680.000 that can be
paid after about 21 years [18].
In Algeria, solar energy was also harnessed to cool houses in hot climates
[19]. In this investigation, the authors developed a model of the air
conditioner and the absorption cooling system of 10 kW, which is constituted
by solar collectors (having a surface of 28 m2) and a 900-l hot storage tank, as
well as a cooling tower and a thermally driven chiller. The results obtained
showed that the solar system with a thermal COP equal to 0.73 can satisfy the
required conditioned air of a house having a surface of 120 m2 [20]. The
study [21] proposed a very efficient hybrid combined cooling, heating, and
power system driven by solar energy and biomass applied to a building with a
100-kW electricity load. It consists of a biomass gasification subsystem, solar
evacuated collector (having an area of 96 m2 for an 800 W/m2 solar
irradiance), internal combustion engine, and dual-source powered
mixed-effect absorption water chiller. In fact, the system allowed an energy
saving of about 57%, a reduction of the carbon emission ratio of about 95%,
and providing about 200 kW of cooling power. In addition, the COP of the
system is high (1.1) [21].
Furthermore, the high ambient temperatures in Gulf countries cause a
ceaseless demand for cooling, which allows achieving a significant scientific
development in the solar AC field. For instance, in Saudi Arabia, the
investigation [22] focused on optimizing the performance of a solar-powered
LiBr-water absorption AC system. It is equipped with a flat-plate collector
and storage tanks of cold and refrigerant, which ensure a continuous
operation of 24 h/7 days. The chiller has a cooling capacity of 5 kW. The
authors also give its complete mathematical model using unsteady
time-dependent values of the solar intensity and the ambient temperature that
are assumed to be constant
over given small time intervals Δt. In fact, the generalized energy equation
over each Δt, assuming uniform flow processes, is given by Eq. 1 [22].
Q−W=(∑m.h)out −(∑m.h)inm(uf − ui)system
Q−W=∑m.hout−∑m.hin+mud−system 1
where Q and W are the net thermal and mechanical energies, m is the mass
inside the volume (V) of each system component, and (uf – ui) is the change
in internal energy per unit mass inside the volume (V) during the time Δt (uf
is the final internal energy per unit mass inside the volume (V) at the end of
the time step (Δt), while ui is the initial value).
Moreover, the governing equations of the mass flow rates of the weak and
strong refrigerant-absorbent solutions (ws and ss, respectively) for lithium
bromide-water are given by Eq. (2) [22].
Q−W=(∑m.h)out − (∑m.h)in + m(uf − ui)system
Q−W=∑m.hout−∑m.hin+mud−system 1
where Q and W are the net thermal and mechanical energies, m is the mass
inside the volume (V) of each system component, and (uf – ui) is the change
in internal energy per unit mass inside the volume (V) during the time Δt (uf
is the final internal energy per unit mass inside the volume (V) at the end of
the time step (Δt), while ui is the initial value).
Moreover, the governing equations of the mass flow rates of the weak and
strong refrigerant-absorbent solutions (ws and ss, respectively) for lithium
bromide-water are given by Eq. (2) [22].
Mss = Xws/(Xss − Xws).ṁ rṁ ws = Xss /(Xss − Xws).ṁ r
ṁss=Xws/Xss−Xws.ṁrṁws=Xss/Xss−Xws.ṁrE2
where Xws and Xss are the mass concentrations for weak and strong solutions.
The generator and evaporator heat and pump work are written in Eq. (3) [22].
QG = (ṁrh1 + ṁwsh8 − mssh7).Δt
QE = (m ̇r(h4 − h3)).Δt
WP = (mss(h6−h5)).Δt
QG=ṁrh1+ṁwsh8−mssh7.∆tQE=ṁrh4−h3.∆tWP=mssh6−h5.∆tE3
where Δt is a 1-h time-step interval and the enthalpy h(1 to 10) is based on
the thermodynamic state shown in Figure 3, according to Ref. [22].
For a collector area of 48 m2, a hot storage mass of 1500 kg, and a constant
load, the simulation results using Engineering Equation Solver (EES)
software indicated that the COP of the system is about 0.85. However, the
experimental results showed that it can reach 0.9 [22]. At the level of the size
of system components (collector and tanks), they become smaller in summer
that the solar intensity is high. Thus, the required mass storage will be
reduced and the COP will be enhanced.
In the same context, many related studies were carried out in Australia. For
example, in Ref. [23], the author modeled a building (having a volume of 60
m3) equipped with an autonomous solar photovoltaic-battery air conditioner
in order to satisfy the desired comfort with the minimum energy
consumption. The conditioned supply air temperature Ts and the humidity
ratio HRs are computed using Eq. (4) [23].
Ts = Tb − Qsṁcp HRs = HRb −(Qt−Qs)/ṁhfg
Ts=Tb−QsṁcpHRs=HRb−Qt−Qs/ṁhfgE4
where Qs and Qt are, respectively, the sensible and total cooling power, hfg is
the heat of vaporization of water, Tb is the building air temperature (it must be
higher than 25°C to activate the air-conditioning process), and
ṁ is the supply air flow rate (0.275 kg/s) [23].
Thanks to the presence of the battery, the system can be used during peak
times to provide the energy required. Indeed, the energy stored in the battery
Battery is determined using Eq. (5) [23].
dEbattery dt = ηc Pc − 1 ηd PddEbatterydt=ηcPc−1ηdPdE5
where Pc is the battery charging power, Pd is the battery discharging power, ηc
is the charge efficiency, and ηd is the discharge efficiency.
The simulation results of the internal temperature and humidity were carried
out for different types of buildings and climates using TRNSYS software.
The system increased the solar fraction by 30% [23]. Moreover,
medium-temperature, concentrated solar thermal collectors are used in an
air-conditioning system with an auxiliary heater (used to compensate for a
lack of energy) and a double-effect absorption chiller [24] to cool a building.
The main components of the proposed AC system are shown in Figure 4,
according to Ref. [24].
For a collector area of 2.4 m2/kW of cooling capacity and a storage tank
volume of 40 L/m2, the simulation results using TRNSYS software show that
the system is able to cover 50% of the load needs of the building [24]. In
addition, the COP system is 1.4, which reveals the system efficiency.
On the other hand, the investigation [25] couples the solar energy to a
traditional vapor compression air conditioner to perform a new hybrid
solar-driven AC system. The proposed system was modeled and controlled
using TRNSYS software in order to improve its energy efficiency. It is
constituted of three main parts (a vapor compression system, a solar vacuum
collector, and a solar storage tank). At steady-state conditions, the
compressor power consumption was decreased from 1.45 to 1.24 kW, which
is resulted by a global energy saving of about 14 and 7.1% for only the
compressor. Likewise, an energy saving achieved by the condenser fan is
about 2.6% [25], which allows increasing the COP. Hence, the authors
reported that the system is able to efficiently satisfy the cooling requirements.
3. Solar adsorption systems
These systems have long-term environmental benefits and significant energy
efficiency like the absorption AC systems [26]. In fact, they use natural
refrigerants such as the water [27] and can be driven by a low-temperature
heat source [28].
Several studies have been focused on the design of solar adsorption AC
systems. Nonetheless, their design is complex and some parameters, like the
heat rejection, are not easy to be determined using classical tools [27]. In this
investigation, the authors developed a dynamic model to simulate a solar
cooling system equipped with a backup unit, a heat rejection unit (having a
thermal capacity of 35 kW), and adsorption chillers, which are driven by
solar collectors distributed over an area of 27.52 m2 to cool a flat building
area of 130 m2 in Italy.
The authors expressed the thermal performance of the solar collectors as [27]:
QA =G (η0 −1.485(Tm−Ta)G−0.002(Tm−Ta)2 G)
QA=Gη0−1.485Tm−TaG−0.002Tm−Ta2GE6
where Q is the power of solar collectors, A is their area, G is the intensity of
the solar radiation, η0 is the ratio of the efficiency measured at actual
admitted irradiance to vertical admitted irradiance, Tm is the collector average
temperature, and Ta is the ambient temperature.
The system also cooled about 1000 l of water that can be used in numerous
activities. However, the COP of the chiller is much lower compared with the
electric one: 0.35 and 2.5, respectively. They are computed using Eq. (7)
[27].
COPchiller = Qev Qs +Qheater COPelectric = QevEel,tot
COPchiller=QevQs+QheaterCOPelectric=QevEel,totE7
where Qev is the evaporation energy representing the useful effect of the
chiller, Qs is the energy supplied by the solar collectors, Qheater is the energy
supplied by the backup unit, and Eel,tot is the total electric consumption of all
the system components.
The ratio between the energy supplied by the thermal collectors and the total
energy required by the complete system, called solar fraction, is given by Eq.
(8) [27].
SF= QsQs + Qheater
SF=QsQs+Theater 8
In addition, the installation costs are very high, about $ 29.022. They can be
paid back after about 13 years. In fact, about $ 1085 and 3942.45 kWh of
electric energy are saved per year. Another adsorption cooling system using a
tubular solar 1-m2 double-glazed collector/adsorber was designed, as shown
in Figure 5, according to Ref. [28]. The main objective is to decrease the
energy consumption of cooling systems in the sub-Saharan regions in
Algeria. Indeed, an energy saving of about 28.3 MWh could be reached
during August [28]. However, the solar COP is too low (about 0.21).
In the investigation [29], a reduction of the energy consumption of about 50%
was achieved, especially in hot and wet climates due to the use of solar
energy for the production of cold. The authors used a traditional cooling
system with a dehydrating cooling cycle that can be adapted to the fixed solar
cells to air-condition a housing volume of 330 m3 using 20 m2 flat-plate
collector and 2 m3 hot water tank [30], which can be employed in household
activities. However, the COP of the cooling system is low (about 0.6) and the
indoor climate does not fulfill standard comfort criteria for a few hours
during the cooling season. A new water/air-conditioning system for buildings
is presented in Ref. [31]. It is constituted by a solar-driven adsorption chiller,
a solar chimney (having 12 m2 of area), and a cooling channel (having 24 m2
of area), through which the hot air is cooled and distributed in the test room
(having 200 m3 of volume) under hot and humid, and hot and arid climate.
The cyclic cooling capacity and the COP of the chiller reached their
maximum values (about 16 kW and 0.71, respectively) during the day
(between 15 and 16 h). This allowed decreasing the room temperature by
26.8%. Furthermore, the electric energy consumed by the system is 37% less
than that consumed by a split inverter air conditioner having the same cooling
power [31].
Absorption and adsorption technologies can be combined in the same AC
system in order to further improve its performance. This is the subject of [32]
in which the authors proposed novel solar poly-generation systems, based on
both adsorption and absorption chiller technologies fed by dish-shaped
concentrating and flat photovoltaic/thermal collectors instead of conventional
solar collectors. They developed a computer code to determine the optimal
system configurations taking into account the operating parameters and the
climatic conditions. The systems are applied to buildings (office and
residential spaces) located in different climatic European regions. They
provided electricity and hot water, as well as ensured the heating and cooling
of the air-conditioned spaces.
4. Solar desiccant systems
On the environmental front, desiccant systems rank among the top efficient
cooling systems [33]. In fact, they can decrease the greenhouse gas emissions
and improve the energy savings given that they do not use any
ozone-depleting refrigerants and consume less energy as compared with the
vapor compression systems [34, 35, 36]. Their benefits are meaningful when
they interact with renewable energy technologies, such as solar collectors [37,
38]. They also reduce moisture from the indoor air and enhance its quality
[39, 40, 41]. For instance, liquid desiccant dehumidification solar systems are
used to supply fresh air in humid climate locations using the calcium chloride
liquid and a flat-plate solar collector (having an area of 86.16 m2). It allows
reducing their latent heat load and then enhancing their efficiency [42, 43].
During the entire cooling season, the proposed system in this study provides
10 [44] and 40 kW
for cooling a typical house and a small restaurant, respectively. However, the
COP of the desiccant unit is too low (0.41 for the house and 0.45 for the
restaurant). The costs of the installation powered by natural gas can be paid
back after 11 years if the gas price is 0.5638 $/kg [43]. In addition, this kind
of system (having 1 m2 of dehumidifier area and 80 m2 of solar collector
area) has been tested under hot and dry climate conditions, and a
Multi-Population Genetic Algorithm (MPGA) is developed to optimize the
system parameters to reach a maximum energy saving and a minimum
payback period. It is shown in Figure 6 according to Ref. [45].
In fact, 38% of electricity saving and a payback period of 14 years are
achieved [45]. Furthermore, a solar desiccant cooling unit equipped with
evacuated solar collectors (having 16 m2 of area), in which the regeneration
thermal energy is supplied by a natural gas boiler, and with a conventional
air-handling device is enough to obtain a reduction of primary energy
consumption and CO2 emissions of 50.2% and 49.8%, respectively.
Moreover, the system costs can be paid back after 17 years [36]. A liquid
desiccant solar system is combined with two evaporative coolers (a
regenerative indirect evaporative cooler and a direct evaporative cooler with
an adjustable bypass flow) [46]. This has the objective to improve the
performance of the desiccant system by using low-grade heat for
air-conditioning [46]. The liquid desiccant system is characterized by a
self-cycle solution at dehumidification. Its performance was analyzed through
a mathematical model that studies the impact of varying five parameters
(solution self-cycle ratio, working to intake air flow ratio, regeneration
temperature, ambient air temperature, and humidity ratio). The system can
decrease the air temperature of the cooled space to 17.9°C. Nonetheless, the
obtained thermal COP is low (0.5) for the design conditions [46]. In addition,
the system has the advantage of using a lower temperature heat source
compared with a conventional AC system. The same technology was also
invested for hot climates in Saudi Arabia [47]. The investigation shows that
the desiccant evaporative AC system presents a modest performance in dry
climates and does not operate in very wet conditions.
On the other hand, three models of solar solid desiccant AC system were
performed in Ref. [48] under cold, humid, hot, and dry climates in Tunisia
and applied to a building having a volume of 48 m3. The authors used a fixed
solid desiccant bed in place of a rotary desiccant wheel. The solar flat-plate
collectors (having an area of 2 m2) consist mainly of a transparent cover, a
plate absorber, tubes fixed and set under the absorber plate, and insulation on
the back side of them. They are made of copper. Water circulates into the
tubes in order to be heated. The solar collectors are coupled to the desiccant
system (it consists of a desiccant dehumidifier, an air–air heat exchanger, a
water-air heat exchanger, and a humidifier). This provides the heat required
to regenerate it, precisely the desiccant dehumidifier. The coupling is ensured
by a water storage tank and a heating coil inserted in the return air stream of
the desiccant system [48].
The authors expressed the thermal balance for the absorber as follows [48]:
Ρabs δabs CabsdT abs dt = Gτabsαabs+hrbs_tc(Ttc−Tabs)+hconva−abs(Ta− Tabs)+(Sabs−tubeSabs)hcond
abs−tub(Ttube−Tabs)+(Sabs−insulationSabs)hcondabs−insulation(Tinsulation−Tabs)+λabsδabs(∂2Tabs∂x2 + ∂2Tabs∂y2)
ρabsδabsCabsdTabsdt=Gτabsαabs+hrabs_tc(Ttc−Tabs)+hconva−abs(Ta−Tabs)
+(Sabs−tubeSabs)hcondabs−tub(Ttube−Tabs)+(Sabs−insulation
Slabs)hcondabs−insulation(Tinsulation−Tabs)
+λabsδabs(∂2Tabs∂x2+∂2Tabs∂y2)E9
where ‘abs’ refers to absorber, ρ is the intrinsic average density, σ is the
thickness, C is the specific heat, G is the solar global radiation, τ is the
transmission coefficient, 𝛼 is the absorption coefficient, hr. is the radiation
heat transfer coefficient, Ttc is the temperature of the transparent cover, Ta is
the air temperature, S is the surface area, and λ is the conductivity.
Hcond abs−tube =1δabsλ abs + δtubeλ tube
:conductive heat transfer coefficient between absorber plate and tube
hcondabs−tube=1δabsλabs+δtubeλtube:conductive heat transfer coefficient between absorber
plate and tube
Hcondabs−insulation =1δabsλ abs +δinsulation λinsulation
:conductive heat transfer coefficient between absorber plate and insulation
hcondabs−insulation=1δabsλabs+δinsulationλinsulation:conductive heat transfer coefficient
between absorber plate and insulation
Hconv a−abs =Nuaλaδa
:the convective heat transfer coefficient between air gap and the absorber For the tube, the
thermal balance is written as [48]:
Ρtube StubeCtube dTtube dt =Scabs−tube hcondabs−tub(Tabs −Ttube)+Ptube hconvtube−insulation(Tinsulation −Ttube)
+Sctube−insulation hcondtub−insulation(Tinsulation −Ttube)+λtube Stube∂2Ttube∂y2
ρtubeStubeCtubedTtubedt=Scabs−tubehcondabs−tubTabs−Tube+Ptube Conv Tube−insulation
insulation−Tube +Sctube−insulation condtub−insulation
insulation−Tube+λtubeStube∂2Ttube∂y2E10
where P is the perimeter.
Hconv a−ab =NutubeλfDh,tube
:the convective heat transfer coefficient between tube and circulating fluid(water)
hconva−abs=NutubeλfDh,tube:the convective heat transfer coefficient between tube and
circulating fluid water
Hcondtube−insulation = 1δtube λtube +δinsulationλinsulation
:conductive heat transfer coefficient between tube and insulation
hcondtube−insulation=1δtubeλtube+δinsulationλinsulation:conductive heat transfer coefficient
between tube and insulation
The value of the Nusselt number Nutube depends on the Reynolds number Re
as follows [48]:
Re<2300⇒
Nu
tube
=4.364
Re>2300⇒
Nu
tube
=0.023
Re
0.8
Pr
0.4
Re<2300⇒Nutube=4.364Re>2300⇒Nutube=0.023Re0.8Pr0.4
The numerical values of the temperature and humidity show that the desired
comfort is reached by the three proposed models under different climatic
conditions.
Table 1 summarizes the design values and the effectiveness of the three
technologies of solar AC systems investigated in the present chapter.
5. Comparative study of solar air-conditioning systems vs.
traditional ones
From research studies reviewed in this chapter, we conclude that whatever
the technology, solar AC systems have many environmental benefits
compared with those that are driven by conventional vapor compression
cycles. In fact, traditional AC systems operate with chlorofluorocarbons and
hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants that impact on ozone depletion [49]. Hence,
solar AC systems present an interesting solution to inhibit the harmful effects
on the environment. It is observed that they significantly lower the emission
of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, achieve the desired comfort, and
reach a considerable saving of energy of up to 80%. They also can be
installed in all regions and operating under all climatic conditions. On the
other hand, solar air-conditioning can effectively mitigate peak load pressures
that occur with the use of conventional air conditioners, thanks to the heat
storage process. Indeed, the heat is especially stored when the solar irradiance
is high and can be after harnessed when the solar radiation becomes deficient
[50]. This fact ensures the continuous operation of the solar AC systems. In
terms of COP, the thermal COP of a solar AC system is generally lower than
those of a conventional AC system without decreasing the solar system
performance. All these benefits make solar AC systems attractive and
extensively integrated into modern buildings. This comparative study is
illustrated in the following Table 2.
6. Conclusions:
The solar AC systems reported in this chapter present an interesting
worldwide solution to reduce the harmful effects (high energy consumption
and pollution) of traditional AC systems. In fact, research studies revealed
that absorption, adsorption, and desiccant systems allowed saving energy up
to 80, 50, and 52%, respectively, thanks to the optimization of their designs at
the level of using environmentally unfriendly refrigerants, investing in the
free and clean solar energy to power them, as well as at the level of the
choice of the components that comprise them. Therefore, these systems also
reduced the pollution rate up to 95% (about 3000 kg of CO2), especially the
absorption systems. In addition, their use is remarkably suitable in rural
regions where the electricity is not available or its shortage is frequent. Some
solar AC systems are also equipped with chilled or hot water tanks, which
can be used in various activities (household, agricultural, and so on).
However, their coefficient of performance is lower than 1 in most cases
compared with the traditional AC systems that their coefficient can reach the
value 3. Moreover, the installation and maintenance costs of most solar AC
systems are relatively high. They can reach up to $ 29.000 and be paid back
after at least 9 years. Hence, we can reach long-term sustainability.
Nonetheless, the design of these systems, especially adsorption and desiccant
AC systems, is complex.
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