Theoretical and practical analysis of an integrated solar hot water-powered absorption cooling system

Evaluation of a typical integrated solar absorption cooling system has been carried out to determine its overall performance. Analysis of the results revealed an operational efficiency of 61% for the solar collectors at a mean differential temperature (ΔT) of 51 °C as compared with the manufacturer’s rating of 70% at a ΔT of 60 °C. The absorption chiller did however perform quite satisfactorily and achieved a coefficient of performance (COP) of 0.69 as compared with the manufacturer’s rating of 0.7 despite the slight deviation at the collectors end. The installation strategy for the hot water storage tanks also appears to have achieved its objective of maintaining controlled temperature stratification in the tanks. It could therefore be concluded that the system has proved its potential as a viable cooling technology for application in buildings. However, in order to maintain appropriate hot water supply temperature during low solar radiation levels, supplementary heat source such as gas or biomass fired system would have to be considered and incorporated into solar absorption cooling systems.