Escolar Documentos
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3744, 2000
2000 Elsevier Science Ltd
Pergamon PII: S0038 092X( 00 )00007 4 All rights reserved. Printed in Great Britain
0038-092X / 00 / $ - see front matter
www.elsevier.com / locate / solener
AbstractA technical and economical study of regenerative absorption chillers with multi-pressure cycle has
been undertaken as solar operated refrigeration systems. Referred to as advanced absorption chillers they
represent one of the new technology options that are under development. Advanced absorption cooling
technology offers the possibility of chillers with thermal COPs of 1.5 or greater at driving temperatures of
1408C, which reduces the collector area and the heat rejection requirements compared to current absorption
cooling technology. Two different absorption systems have been considered. The first is an advanced,
double-effect regenerative absorption cooling system, driven at 1408C, whose efficiency is about 55% of the
Carnot efficiency. The second is an ideal, single-effect regenerative absorption system that achieves 70% of the
Carnot efficiency driven at 1408C or 2008C. To evaluate the solar performance of a thermally driven chiller
requires a separate analysis of the solar availability for a given location compared to the required monthly
average solar input. In this analysis different systems, including the vapour compression chillers, have been
compared in terms of the thermal and electrical energy input. An effective electrical COP may be computed
assuming that the ratio of electrical energy cost to thermal energy cost is four, which is typical of todays fossil
fuel costs. The effective electrical COPs of different technical options can then be compared. Those systems
with higher electrical COPs will have lower energy costs. If solar is to be competitive, then the cost of
delivered solar thermal energy should be less than the cost of delivered fossil thermal energy. 2000
Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
37
38 S. Alizadeh
is to use the water cooled waterlithium bromide where the heat source has been supplied by solar
absorption chiller (Anderson, 1976). In compari- energy. Phillips (1976) discusses the ammonia
son to the ammoniawater cycle the water water absorption cycle with respect to its suitabili-
lithium bromide cycle has a number of advan- ty for air cooling. Whitlow (1976) analysed the
tages, the principal advantages being, a higher ammoniawater cycle with respect to variations
coefficient of performance (COP) and its genera- in heat source and heat sink temperatures and
tor temperature operating range is within the coefficient of performance. His findings were that
output temperature operating range of high quality if flat plate collectors are to be considered, then
flat plate solar collectors. the source temperature is limited to 901008C
High quality correctly installed flat plate solar which necessitates sink temperatures of less than
collectors using selective surfaces will deliver hot 328C to give a COP of 0.4. This limitation negates
water at temperatures up to 1008C. The per- the possibility of an air cooled system with source
formance characteristics of such a collector temperatures of 1008C or less. To obtain con-
(Yazaki, 1978) is depicted in Fig. 1 where the denser and absorber temperatures below 328C
instantaneous efficiency is plotted versus r, de- requires cooling water at a temperature of about
fined as 288C, thus, cooling towers are ruled out where
wet-bulb design temperature is 248C or greater.
TC 2 T0
r 5 ]]]. (1) Whitlow recommends that concentrating collec-
I tors be used for driving NH 3 H 2 O systems
Evacuated tube solar collectors have also been thereby eliminating the necessity for water cool-
used for powering the waterlithium bromide ing. Figs. 2 and 3 show the performance of air
absorption cooling systems (Ward et al., 1976). cooled and water cooled NH 3 H 2 O systems. For
both cases the COP drops sharply as the con-
centration of the strong solution approaches that
2. PERFORMANCE OF THE COMMERCIAL of the weak solution.
SYSTEMS Ammoniawater absorption cycles with coeffi-
cients of performance greater than one have been
2.1. Basic solar absorption cycles postulated by Chinnappa (1974). Two cycles, the
A number of authors have investigated the double-effect condensing cycle and the double-
performance of absorption refrigeration cycles effect resorption cycle have calculated COPs of
Multi-pressure absorption cycles in solar refrigeration 39
Fig. 2. COP values for the air cooled and water cooled conditions (Whitlow, 1976).
1.2 and 1.3 for mean generator temperatures of assumed to be 348C. Chinnappa concludes that
848C and 908C, respectively. Since these are these non-conventional cycles require smaller
calculated values of COP, in practice they will be collector area than the present conventional units
lower. For the double-effect condensing cycle and estimates their costs to be 1.6 to 1.7 times
estimating evaporator temperature is 2108C. The that of conventional units. Absorption chillers
condensing temperature for these two cycles was have been incorporated into solar heating and
Fig. 3. Generator temperatures for the air cooled and water cooled conditions (Whitlow, 1976).
40 S. Alizadeh
cooling systems and experimental results pub- sharp cut-off input temperatures below which the
lished by a number of authors (Ward, 1979; cycle ceases to operate and almost constant
Sheridan, 1972; Lof and Ward, 1975; Mumma coefficient of performance with increasing input
and Sepsy, 1976). These results indicate suitabili- temperature. Because of these deficiencies the
ty of the water cooled H 2 OLiBr system for basic cycle cannot benefit from the development
refrigeration using solar energy as heat input. of efficient high temperature collectors and cannot
be used during considerable periods when the
2.2. Double-effect absorption cycles insolation is low. The 1R cycles much higher
As was discussed previously, in a single-effect COP at high input temperatures and workable
absorption cycle a considerable amount of heat is COP at very low input temperatures largely
rejected from the condenser and absorber during eliminate the shortcomings of the basic cycles.
the condensation and absorption of the refrigerant The double-effect regenerative absorption re-
vapour. A double-effect absorption cycle which is frigeration cycle (or 2R cycle) is an effort to
made up of a coupling of two single-effect cycles design an efficient cooling system for solar appli-
makes possible the recovery of this heat that cations. As already mentioned, present solar
otherwise would be lost, thus improving the activated cooling systems have either a low
efficiency of the system. In the conventional efficiency or a sharp cut-off temperature that
double-effect cycle, the condensation of the re- prevents the effective use of highly available solar
frigerant vapour generated from the first effect radiation. Conventional single-effect absorption
generator releases heat to boil out refrigerant in systems have a low COP of the order of 0.70 and
the second-effect generator. In the common con- a sharp cut-off input temperature of about 938C.
denser cycle the refrigerant vapours generated by Conventional double-effect absorption systems
both generators are at the same pressure; they are have a good COP of about 1.10 but unfortunately,
subsequently rectified and condensed in the same they also have a sharp cut-off input temperature
condenser. of about 1508C. The 2R cycle described in this
The common condenser cycle is essentially the paper has a continuously increasing COP at
coupling of two conventional single-effect cycles. higher temperatures, approaching 63% of the
The first single-effect cycle operates at high Carnot COP. This cycle works efficiently with
generator temperatures to boil out refrigerant input temperatures from 708C (with the condenser
vapour at the common condenser pressure and and the evaporator temperatures being 438C and
absorbs refrigerant vapour at the common 48C, respectively).
evaporator pressure (the evaporator is common to Calculated COPs are plotted in Figs. 4 and 5
both coupled cycles). This absorption of vapour versus some important parameters. As a com-
releases heat at a temperature high enough to boil parison, the COP values for the basic single-effect
out refrigerant in the generator of the second and conventional double-effect cycles have also
single-effect cycle. been shown in Fig. 6. The figures show that the
The conventional double-effect cycle is also 2R cycle performs as well as the single-effect
essentially the coupling of two single-effect cy- cycle at low boiler temperatures and as well as the
cles. The difference between the conventional and double-effect at high temperatures. The COP of
common condenser cycles consists in the mode of the 2R cycle increases continuously with increas-
coupling: for the conventional double-effect cycle, ing boiler temperature. While this is slightly less
the coupling is between the first-effect condensing than the COP of the 1R cycle, the configuration of
process and the second-effect generating process; the 2R cycle is less complicated and only a
for the common condenser cycle the coupling is careful cost analysis of the two systems can
between the first-effect absorption and the second- determine which one is better. The absence of
effect generating process. The common condenser cut-off temperatures is a feature of the 2R cycle
double-effect cycle cannot be used with NH 3 that makes it superior to double-effect cycles.
H 2 O mixtures because the pressure in the genera- Figs. 4 and 5 show that at low condenser
tor of the first-effect would be too high (about 61 absorber temperatures, T 0 , and high boiler tem-
bars). peratures, the COP of the 2R cycle can be
substantially higher than the basic double-effect
2.3. Multi-pressure absorption cycles; single cycle and for the 1R cycle it can be even much
and double-effect regenerative (1 R and 2 R) higher. These figures also show that 2R and 1R
cycles cycles can be used as heat pump for heating
As already mentioned, basic absorption cycles purposes since they have an acceptable COP at T E
have two undesirable characteristics, namely of about 48C.
Multi-pressure absorption cycles in solar refrigeration 41
Fig. 6. Basic single effect (NH 3 H 2 O) and conventional double-effect (H 2 OLiBr) absorption cycles.
temperature). Secondly, to develop solar collector cost effective if cell and collector prices are as
subsystems (collectors, piping, controls) that can low as expected. Also the technical problems of
drive these chillers on an economically competi- dissipating heat from the cells and efficiently
tive basis with gas heat sources. transmitting electricity from the cells to the
distribution system still remain. The power pro-
3.2. Electric power from solar duced is in phase with refrigeration demands
Solar energy may be converted to electrical which reduces the need for conventional refrigera-
energy using photovoltaic cells. The conversion tion systems. It appears that photovoltaic systems
efficiency is normally around 15%, which can will become a competitive electricity generating
vary up to 30%, and the cell efficiency is strongly system.
temperature dependent. It is technically feasible to
produce electricity using photovoltaic cells. The 3.3. Status of high efficiency solar cooling and
technology to manufacture cells and collectors outlook for success
exists, and the transmission of DC electricity and In order to compare the different systems in
its conversion to AC electricity are well known. terms of the thermal and electrical energy input,
The barrier to implementation is economic. an effective electrical COP (EFFECOP) can be
The cost of solar cells with 15% efficiency and computed for each technical option assuming that
mass produced is expected to be about $220 / m 2 the ratio of electrical energy cost to thermal
of cell area. As an example, for a system using a energy cost is four. Those systems with higher
flat plate array, the total cost for photovoltaic cells effective electrical COPs will have lower energy
for a power plant with a capacity of 20,000 kW costs (see Table 1). This comparison indicates that
would be $460310 6 . If a concentrating system the ideal 1R cycle has the highest effective
were used with a concentration ratio of 50:1, the electrical COP and consequently the lowest cost
cell cost would be $444 / m 2 . However, collector (Warren and Wahlig, 1991).
costs will probably be $110$220 / m 2 , and so the
system costs would be in the range of $230310 6
4. CONCLUSIONS
to $460310 6 .
Photovoltaic conversion to electricity can be In this study regenerative absorption chillers
Multi-pressure absorption cycles in solar refrigeration 43
Table 1. Comparison of effective electrical COPs of different technical options (Warren and Wahlig, 1991)
Chiller type (a) Electrical performance (b) Thermal performance
TG Etotal ECOP QG TCOP EFFECOP
8C kW kW
Reciprocating chiller 271.4 2.04 2.04
Centrifugal chiller 173.1 3.59 3.59
Advanced absorption 140 87.1 10.75 390 1.19 3.30
Ideal absorption 140 85.6 11.12 330 1.41 3.74
Ideal absorption 200 82.6 11.91 241 1.93 4.68
with multi-pressure cycle were analysed for solar EFFECOP effective electrical coefficient of performance
Etotal total electrical use (kW)
operation and compared with conventional ab- I
2
hourly solar insolation (kJ / h m )
sorption chillers. Basic absorption refrigeration r ratio defined by Eq. (1) (8C h m 2 / kJ)
TCOP thermal coefficient of performance
cycles have two undesirable characteristics; name- T temperature (8C)
ly the low coefficient of performance and the high a absorptivity of the collector surface
cut-off input temperature below which the cycle emittance of glass cover of the collector
ceases to operate. Two solutions to the problem of hC collector efficiency
Ward D. S. (1979) Solar absorption coding feasibility. Solar Whitlow E. P. (1976) Relationship between heat source
Energy 22(3), 259268. temperature, heat sink temperature and coefficient of per-
Warren M. L. and Wahlig M. (1991). Analysis and Com- formance for solar powered absorption air conditioners.
parison of Active Solar Dessiccant and Absorption Systems ASHRAE Trans. 82(Part 1), 950958.
( Part I), Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, Yazaki T. J. (1978) Solar air conditioning system a case
USA. study. In I.S.E.S. Symposium, Melbourne.