Performance Results of a Solar Adsorption Cooling and Heating Unit
Abstract
The high environmental impact of conventional methods of cooling and heating has increased the need for renewable energy deployment for covering thermal loads. Towards that direction, the proposed system aims at offering an efficient solar powered alternative, coupling a zeolite-water adsorption chiller with a conventional vapor compression cycle. The system is designed to operate under intermittent heat supply of low-temperature solar thermal energy (<90 °C) provided by evacuated tube collectors. A prototype was developed and tested in cooling mode operation. The results of experiments showed that the system was operating efficiently, achieving a maximum COP of 0.65. The average thermal efficiency of the collectors was approximately 60%, resulting in an annual solar fraction of 65%. Key-words: Solar Cooling, Adsorption, Evacuated tube collectors