Model predictive control of a high efficiency solar thermal cooling system with thermal storage

Solar Thermal Cooling System with its absorption cycle is expected to replace the conventional air conditioning system with vapor compression cycle because it is more efficient in terms of cost and energy. However, due to the heat of the sun is not always stable, the system needs to be equipped with a backup energy source, one of which is CNG. In the Manufacturing Research Center building, the lack of facilities that support availability of CNG causes large operational cost. Therefore, optimization efforts with the aim to reduce operational cost are needed. Simulation and optimization performed with EnergyPlus and GenOpt. The conclusion is that the installation of 187.5 kW electric tankless water heater is able to reduce total operational cost by 34.65% compared to system that uses combination of solar thermal and CNG and 49.69% compared with system that uses only CNG.

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Comparative Analysis of Solar Thermal Cooling and Solar Photovoltaic Cooling Systems

ASME 2011 5th International Conference on Energy Sustainability, Parts A, B, and C ◽

10.1115/es2011-54162 ◽

2011 ◽

Author(s):

N. Fumo ◽

V. Bortone ◽

J. C. Zambrano

Keyword(s):

Energy Consumption ◽

Fossil Fuels ◽

Cooling System ◽

Solar Thermal ◽

Solar Photovoltaic ◽

Solar Thermal Energy ◽

Cooling Systems ◽

Solar Cooling ◽

Solar Thermal Cooling ◽

Thermal Cooling

The Energy Information Administration of the United States Department of Energy projects that more than 80% of the energy consumption of the U.S. by 2035 will come from fossil fuels. This projection should be the fuel to promote projects related to renewable energy in order to reduce energy consumption from fossil fuels to avoid their undesirable consequences such as carbon dioxide emissions. Since solar radiation match pretty well building cooling demands, solar cooling systems will be an important factor in the next decades to meet or exceed the green gases reduction that will be demanded by the society and regulations in order to mitigate environmental consequences such as global warming. Solar energy can be used as source of energy to produce cooling through different technologies. Solar thermal energy applies to technology such as absorption chillers and desiccant cooling, while electricity from solar photovoltaic can be used to drive vapor compression electric chillers. This study focuses on the comparison of a Solar Thermal Cooling System that uses an absorption chiller driven by solar thermal energy, and a Solar Photovoltaic Cooling System that uses a vapor compression system (electric chiller) driven by solar electricity (solar photovoltaic system). Both solar cooling systems are compared against a standard air cooled cooling system that uses electricity from the grid. The models used in the simulations to obtain the results are described in the paper along with the parameters (inputs) used. Results are presented in two figures. Each figure has one curve for the Solar Thermal Cooling System and one for the Solar Photovoltaic Cooling System. One figure allows estimation of savings calculated based the net present value of energy consumption cost. The other figure allows estimating primary energy consumption reduction and emissions reduction. Both figures presents the result per ton of refrigeration and as a function of area of solar collectors or/and area of photovoltaic modules. This approach to present the result of the simulations of the systems makes these figures quite general. This means that the results can be used to compare both solar cooling systems independently of the cooling demand (capacity of the system), as well as allow the analysis for different sizes of the solar system used to harvest the solar energy (collectors or photovoltaic modules).

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Numerical modelling of a solar thermal cooling system under arid weather conditions

Renewable Energy ◽

10.1016/j.renene.2013.11.032 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 67 ◽

pp. 186-191 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Lik Fang Sim

Keyword(s):

Numerical Modelling ◽

Cooling System ◽

Weather Conditions ◽

Solar Thermal ◽

Solar Thermal Cooling ◽

Thermal Cooling

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Performance of a 23KW Solar Thermal Cooling System Employing a Double Effect Absorption Chiller and Thermodynamically Efficient Non-tracking Concentrators

Energy Procedia ◽

10.1016/j.egypro.2014.02.118 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 48 ◽

pp. 1036-1046 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Roland Winston ◽

Lun Jiang ◽

Bennett Widyolar

Keyword(s):

Cooling System ◽

Double Effect ◽

Solar Thermal ◽

Absorption Chiller ◽

Solar Thermal Cooling ◽

Thermal Cooling

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Simulations of Solar Thermal Cooling System for a Building at Innovation Park Muscat

Proceedings of EuroSun 2018 ◽

10.18086/eurosun2018.04.08 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Tom Cordes ◽

Sausan Al-Riyami ◽

Jörn Scheuren ◽

Rutger Schlatmann

Keyword(s):

Cooling System ◽

Solar Thermal ◽

Solar Thermal Cooling ◽

Thermal Cooling

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Potential Study of Solar Thermal Cooling in Sub-Mediterranean Climate

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app10072418 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 2418 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mustafa Jaradat ◽

Mohammad Al-Addous ◽

Aiman Albatayneh ◽

Zakariya Dalala ◽

Nesrine Barbana

Keyword(s):

Mediterranean Climate ◽

Cooling System ◽

Cooling Capacity ◽

Payback Period ◽

Solar Thermal ◽

Levelized Cost Of Electricity ◽

Absorption Cooling ◽

Solar Thermal Cooling ◽

Thermal Cooling ◽

Absorption Cooling System

Air conditioning is becoming increasingly important in the energy supply of buildings worldwide. There has been a dramatic increase in energy requirements for cooling buildings in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This is before taking the effects of climate change into account, which will also entail a sharp increase in cooling requirements. This paper presents the potential of using a solar thermal absorption cooling system in Sub-Mediterranean Climate. Four sites in Jordan are now equipped with water-lithium bromide (H₂O-LiBr) absorption chillers with a total nominal capacity of 530 kW. The focus of the paper was on the pilot system at the German Jordanian University (GJU) campus with a cooling capacity of 160 kW. The system was designed and integrated in order to support two existing conventional compression chillers with a nominal cooling capacity of 700 kW. The system was economically evaluated based on the observed cooling capacity results with a Coefficient of Performance (COP) equals 0.32, and compared with the values observed for a COP of 0.79 which is claimed by the manufacturer. Several techniques were implemented to evaluate the overall economic viability in-depth such as present worth value, internal rate of return, payback period, and levelized cost of electricity. The aforementioned economic studies showed that the absorption cooling system is deemed not feasible for the observed COP of 0.32 over a lifespan of 25 years. The net present value was equal to −137,684 JD and a payback period of 44 years which exceeds the expected lifespan of the project. Even for an optimal operation of COP = 0.79, the discounted payback period was equal to 23 years and the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) was equal to 0.65 JD/kWh. The survey shows that there are several weaknesses for applying solar thermal cooling in developing countries such as the high cost of these systems and, more significantly, the lack of experience for such systems.

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Application of Solar Thermal Cooling System Driven by Low Temperature Heat Source in China

Energy Procedia ◽

10.1016/j.egypro.2015.02.147 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 70 ◽

pp. 454-461 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Tao He ◽

Xinyu Zhang ◽

Conghui Wang ◽

Min Wang ◽

Bojia Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Low Temperature ◽

Heat Source ◽

Cooling System ◽

Solar Thermal ◽

Temperature Heat ◽

Solar Thermal Cooling ◽

Thermal Cooling

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Optimization Position and Tilt Angle for Automatic Tracking Solar Collector in Solar Thermal Cooling System of Building MRC FTUI

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.780.75 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 780 ◽

pp. 75-80 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nasruddin ◽

Aldi Suyana ◽

Budihardjo ◽

Arnas

Keyword(s):

Tilt Angle ◽

Solar Collector ◽

Cooling System ◽

Hot Water ◽

Solar Thermal ◽

Parameter Study ◽

Power Efficient ◽

System Utilization ◽

Solar Thermal Cooling ◽

Thermal Cooling

The solar thermal cooling system is expected to replace the utilization of conventional cooling system, particularly the vapour compression system. This cooling system is power-efficient, refrigerant environmentally friendly and able to use the abundant potential of solar energy. Hence, the optimization of this cooling system is necessary in order to obtain the best performance. For that purpose, this study focus on the simulation phase of the solar thermal cooling system utilization in MRC FTUI building as well as the optimization of solar collector applying EnergyPlus and GenOpt software. The position and the tilt angle of solar collector set as parameter study to gain the best performance of solar collector to produce hot water, which will be used as energy source in the absorption chiller. Finally, the optimum position and the optimum tilt angle every month in a year were obtained from this study.

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Techno feasibility analysis of a concentrating solar thermal cooling systems at a university complex

DYNA ◽

10.15446/dyna.v88n217.93033 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 88 (217) ◽

pp. 282-291

Author(s):

Diego C. Malagueta ◽

Lucas de Oliveira Alves ◽

Elisa Pinto da Rocha

Keyword(s):

Energy Demand ◽

Cooling System ◽

Solar Thermal ◽

System Operation ◽

Cooling Systems ◽

Energy Applications ◽

Energy Demands ◽

Solar Thermal Cooling ◽

Thermal Cooling ◽

Combined Cooling

Concentrating solar thermal (CST) energy applications are growing worldwide, especially in combined cooling, heat, and power processes. Building upon the analysis of a building’s thermal comfort, and software simulations for CST, the current study evaluates a solar conditioning system integrated with absorption systems. The cooling system is equipped with single-, double- and triple-effect configurations cycle, production parameters, and thermal storage. The required fraction of auxiliary energy for the system operation is estimated. The results indicate that the double effect system is the best configuration for the adopted location in Brazil. The system’s annual auxiliary energy demand is, approximately, 20%. Triple-effect systems require less energy at higher temperatures due to local direct radiation, which then leads to an intermittent operation and greater auxiliary energy demands. The methodology applied in this work could be adopted in different locations, with an emphasis on the possibility of testing smaller scale systems in small buildings.

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