Development of a Cooling Unit for Solar Powered Technical Equipment At High Ambient Temperatures
Abstract
Solar powered systems with batteries are often used in remote areas to supply technical infrastructure. Enclosures for technical equipment in hot climates need cooling to prevent overheating of sensitive components and batteries. This paper presents a small scaled cooling unit based on a DC-compressor supplied by photovoltaic electricity. All components are directly energized by a battery with a voltage range from 22 V to 28 V. The paper focuses on measures which were taken to increase the efficiency of the 700 W cooling unit as much as possible. This applies mostly to the sizing of heat exchangers and fans. Moreover, safety measures and control functions are explained in the paper. The cooling unit was tested in laboratory under extreme operation conditions and afterwards integrated into a solar powered energy supply system for remote desert areas.