Modeling and simulation of solar absorption system performance in Beirut

An analytical study is performed on solar energy utilization in space cooling of a small residential application using a solar lithium bromide absorption system. A simulation program for modeling and performance evaluation of the solar-operated absorption cycle is done for all possible climatic conditions of Beirut. The results have shown that for each ton of refrigeration it is required to have a minimum collector area of 23.3 m² with an optimal water storage tank capacity ranging from 1000 to 1500 liters for the system to operate solely on solar energy for about seven hours a day. The monthly solar fraction of total energy use in cooling is determined as a function of solar collector area and storage tank capacity.An economic assessment is performed based on current cost of conventional cooling systems. It is found that the solar cooling system is marginally competitive only when combined with domestic water heating.     

The spontaneously condensing phenomena in a steam-jet pump and its influence on the numerical simulation accuracy

A wet steam model for transonic flow was proposed to investigate the flow behaviours in a steam-jet pump. Contrary to the general ideal gas assumption adopted by the most of the researches focusing on steam-jet pump investigation, the numerical simulation using this wet steam model that was implemented based on a commercial computational fluid dynamics code, and the simulation results demonstrated the existence of the spontaneous condensation as the supersonic flow passing through the nozzle. Our results also gave good agreement with the referenced experimental data, and with higher accuracy when comparing with the results generated from ideal gas modelling. The present study confirms that the simulation accuracy can be improved by the wet steam modelling, and gives a proper prediction of pump operating status.     

Study on solar driven combined adsorption refrigeration cycles in tropical climate

This paper presents the theoretical analysis of the performance of solar powered combined adsorption refrigeration cycles that has been designed for Singapore and Malaysia and similar tropical regions using evacuated tube solar collectors. This novel cycle amalgamates the activated carbon (AC)-R507A as the bottoming cycle and activated carbon-R134a cycle as the topping cycle and deliver refrigeration load as low as ?10 °C at the bottoming cycle. A simulation program has been developed for modeling and performance evaluation for the solar driven combined adsorption refrigeration cycle using the meteorological data of Singapore and Malaysia. The results show that the combined cycle is in phase with the weather. The optimum cooling capacity, coefficient of performance (COP) and chiller efficiency are calculated in terms of cycle time, switching time, regeneration and brine inlet temperatures.     

Evaluation of adding flash tank to solar combined ejector–absorption refrigeration system

Performance of the absorption cooling system is still a challenge due to the coefficient of performance (COP) that is generally poor when compared with the conventional vapor compression cycle. High solar radiation in hot climates is usually associated with high ambient temperature and consequently peak cooling demand. Absorption cooling cycles can be powered by solar but the performance is limited by heat source temperature (solar collector) and high ambient temperature that can affect the condensation process. Efficiency enhancement of the system components is essential to increase the COP of the system. A modification in the combined absorption–ejector cooling system is adopted. Adding a removable flash tank between the condenser and evaporator could improve entrainment ratio of the ejector, along with improving the cooling effect inside the evaporator. A computer simulation program is developed to evaluate the performance of the modified combined cycle using aqua-ammonia (NH₃–H₂O) refrigerant. The performance of the proposed combined cooling cycle is compared with basic absorption, and combined absorption–ejector cooling cycles. Results showed a significant improvement in the COP of the modified cycle at different operating conditions. Cooling effect and capacity of the evaporator is enhanced due to the reduction of flash gas delivered to the evaporator. Furthermore, the flash tank optimized the ejector entertainment ratio and consequently increasing the condenser pressure. This optimization will enable the system to perform well in hot climates where the condenser efficiency is limited by ambient temperature.     

Modelling and simulation of a solar absorption cooling system

A detailed numerical simulation model is developed for a commercially available solar absorption chiller. The model incorporates the performance data of a Yazaki-manufactured water-cooled system. We take into consideration the variation of the COP and cooling water temperature. Using a summer season's meteorological data for an arid location in the Sahara desert, the system performance is computed for different collector types, areas and storage volumes. The results show that an optimum storage volume/collector area ratio exists. Also a high solar fraction can be obtained with relatively small areas of collectors, even when the collectors are of the inexpensive type. The interesting feature was that the system operated at design load conditions with generator temperatures as low as 80°C owing to the fact that very low cooling water temperatures are available in the dry conditions of the Sahara. The study establishes the high potential of solar operated, water-cooled absorption coolers especially for arid conditions.     

Development of a gas turbine performance analysis program and its application

A general-purpose performance prediction program, which can simulate various types of gas turbine such as simple, recuperative, and reheat cycle engines, has been developed. A stage-stacking method has been adopted for the compressor, and a stage-by-stage model including blade cooling has been used for the turbine. The combustor model has the capability of dealing with various types of gaseous fuels. The program has been validated through simulation of various commercial gas turbines. The simulated design performance has been in good agreement with reference data for all of the gas turbines. The average deviations of the predicted performance parameters (power output, thermal efficiency, and turbine exhaust temperature) were less than 0.5% in the design simulations. The accuracy of the simulation of off-design operation was also good. The maximum root mean square deviations of the predicted off-design performance parameters from the reference data were 0.22% and 0.44% for the two simple cycle engines, 0.22% for the recuperative cycle engine, and 0.21% for the reheat cycle engine. Both the design and off-design simulations confirmed that the component models and the program structure are quite reliable for the performance prediction of various types of gas turbine cycle over a wide range of operations.     

Improvement of an existing solar powered absorption cooling system by means of dynamic simulation and experimental diagnosis

This paper focuses on the validation of a dynamic simulation model used to describe the performance of an existing solar cooling installation located in Zaragoza (Spain). The dynamic model has been developed under the simulation environment TRNSYS. The aim of this simulation model is to dispose of a tool in order to use it to evaluate different energy improvement actions in a real solar cooling installation. This solar cooling installation has been monitored and analyzed since 2007. The COP of this experimental solar cooling system presents a great influence from its heat rejection sink, a dry cooling tower. Once the model was validated with the experimental data obtained from the real installation, it was used to predict the chiller performance with a new geothermal sink, which started to operate in 2009. The present work describes the design and validation model process, as well as the comparison between the model results and the monitoring ones with the geothermal heat rejection system.     

Modelling and performance study of a continuous adsorption refrigeration system driven by parabolic trough solar collector

This article suggests a numerical study of a continuous adsorption refrigeration system consisting of two adsorbent beds and powered by parabolic trough solar collector (PTC). Activated carbon as adsorbent and ammonia as refrigerant are selected. A predictive model accounting for heat balance in the solar collector components and instantaneous heat and mass transfer in adsorbent bed is presented. The validity of the theoretical model has been tested by comparison with experimental data of the temperature evolution within the adsorber during isosteric heating phase. A good agreement is obtained. The system performance is assessed in terms of specific cooling power (SCP), refrigeration cycle COP (COP_cycle) and solar coefficient of performance (COP_s), which were evaluated by a cycle simulation computer program. The temperature, pressure and adsorbed mass profiles in the two adsorbers have been shown. The influences of some important operating and design parameters on the system performance have been analyzed.The study has put in evidence the ability of such a system to achieve a promising performance and to overcome the intermittence of the adsorption refrigeration systems driven by solar energy. Under the climatic conditions of daily solar radiation being about 14 MJ per 0.8 m² (17.5 MJ/m²) and operating conditions of evaporating temperature, T_ev = 0 °C, condensing temperature, T_con = 30 °C and heat source temperature of 100 °C, the results indicate that the system could achieve a SCP of the order of 104 W/kg, a refrigeration cycle COP of 0.43, and it could produce a daily useful cooling of 2515 kJ per 0.8 m² of collector area, while its gross solar COP could reach 0.18.     

Design and performance study of a solar energy powered vaccine cabinet

An insulated steel sheet cabinet of 0.6 × 0.3 m face area and 0.5 m depth was designed. The cabinet was intended to store vaccine in remote desert areas, away from the electrical national grid. World Health Organization regulations limit the inside temperature of such vaccine storage cabinets to the range of 0–8°C. A solar energy powered absorption refrigeration cycle using Aqua-Ammonia solution was designed to keep this cabinet temperature in the range of required temperatures, away from the outside temperature, which reaches about 45°C in August. A computer simulation procedure was developed to study the performance and characteristics of the cooling cycle. The simulation included MATLAB computer programs for calculating the absorption cycle, thermodynamic properties and quantities as subroutines for the main program, and a detailed mathematical model using EXCEL for the solar side of the unit. A year round work was predicted. Refrigeration cycle coefficient of performance ranged between 0.5 and 0.65; cylindrical solar concentrator extended the daily operating time to about 7 h and increased the output temperature up to >200°C, while the temperature which gives optimum condition (of COP = 0.65) was 120°C.     

Simulation of an adsorption solar cooling system

A more realistic theoretical simulation model for a tubular solar adsorption refrigerating system using activated carbon-methanol (AC/M) pair has been introduced. The mathematical model represents the heat and mass transfer inside the adsorption bed, the condenser, and the evaporator. The simulation technique takes into account the variations of ambient temperature and solar radiation along the day. Furthermore, the local pressure, and local thermal conductivity variations in space and time inside the tubular reactor are investigated as well. A C++ computer program is written to solve the proposed numerical model using the finite difference method. The developed program covers the operations of all the system components along the cycle time. The performance of the tubular reactor, the condenser, and the evaporator has been discussed. Time allocation chart and switching operations for the solar refrigeration system processes are illustrated as well. The case studied has a 1 m² surface area solar flat plate collector integrated with a 20 stainless steel tubes containing the AC/M pair and each tube has a 5 cm outer diameter. In addition, the condenser pressure is set to 54.2 kpa. It has been found that, the solar coefficient of performance and the specific cooling power of the system are 0.211 and 2.326 respectively. In addition, the pressure distribution inside the adsorption bed has been found nearly uniform and varying only with time. Furthermore, the AC/M thermal conductivity is shown to be constant in both space and time.     

Design study of configurations on system COP for a combined ORC (organic Rankine cycle) and VCC (vapor compression cycle)

The study introduced a novel thermally activated cooling concept - a combined cycle couples an ORC (organic Rankine cycle) and a VCC (vapor compression cycle). A brief comparison with other thermally activated cooling technologies was conducted. The cycle can use renewable energy sources such as solar, geothermal and waste heat, to generate cooling and power if needed. A systematic design study was conducted to investigate effects of various cycle configurations on overall cycle COP. With both subcooling and cooling recuperation in the vapor compression cycle, the overall cycle COP reaches 0.66 at extreme military conditions with outdoor temperature of 48.9 °C. A parametric trade-off study was conducted afterwards in terms of performance and weight, in order to find the most critical design parameters for the cycle configuration with both subcooling and cooling recuperation. Five most important design parameters were selected, including expander isentropic efficiency, condensing and evaporating temperatures, pump/boiling pressure and recuperator effectiveness. At the end, two additional cycle concepts with either potentially higher COP or practical advantages were proposed. It includes adding a secondary heat recuperator in the ORC side and using different working fluids in the power and cooling cycles, or so-called dual-fluid system.     

超音速分离管中水蒸气凝结相变的数值研究

基于超音速分离管中混合气体流动属于伴随凝结相变的可压缩、跨音速的特点,建立了考虑传质效应与非平衡凝结过程的数学模型,并采用数值方法对伴随水蒸气凝结的超音速分离管中的流动进行分析研究。以空气、水蒸气及液态水为流动介质,采用两相流动中的VOF模型结合凝结相变模型以及组分传输模型,研究不同进出口参数及不同水蒸气含量对凝结流场的影响。研究结果表明,所建立的分离管内部非平衡凝结相变模型可以较好的再现超音速流中的凝结成核及液滴生长过程;数值计算结果表明,入口压力、温度及水蒸气含量对分离管内流动凝结过程有直接且重要的影响。因此在进行超音速分离管设计时,考虑温度压力参数的同时,考虑水蒸气含量对分离管性能的影响也是非常重要的。     

Modelling,simulation and warming impact assessment of a domestic-size absorption solar cooling system

In this paper the modelling, simulation and total equivalent warming impact (TEWI) of a domestic-size absorption solar cooling system is presented. The system consists of a solar collector, storage tank, a boiler and a LiBr–water absorption refrigerator. Experimentally determined heat and mass transfer coefficients were employed in the design and costing of an 11 kW cooling capacity solar driven absorption cooling machine which, from simulations, was found to have sufficient capacity to satisfy the cooling needs of a well insulated domestic dwelling. The system is modelled with the TRNSYS simulation program using appropriate equations predicting the performance of the unit. The final optimum system consists of 15 m² compound parabolic collector tilted at 30° from horizontal and 600 l hot water storage tank. The total life cycle cost of a complete system, comprising the collector and the absorption unit, for a lifetime of 20 years will be of the order of C£ 13,380. The cost of the absorption system alone was determined to be C£ 4800. Economic analysis has shown that for such a system to be economically competitive compared to conventional cooling systems its capital cost should be below C£ 2000. The system however has a lower TEWI being 1.2 times smaller compared to conventional cooling systems.     

Study on solar/waste heat driven multi-bed adsorption chiller with mass recovery

The study deals with a solar or waste heat driven three-bed adsorption cooling cycle employing mass recovery scheme. A cycle simulation computer program is developed to investigate the performance of the chiller. The innovative chiller is driven by exploiting solar/waste heat of temperatures between 60 and 90 °C with a cooling source at 30 °C for air-conditioning purpose. The performance of the three-bed adsorption chiller with mass recovery scheme was compared with that of the three-bed chiller without mass recovery. It is found that cooling effect as well as solar/waste heat recovery efficiency, η of the chiller with mass recovery scheme is superior to those of three-bed chiller without mass recovery for heat source temperatures between 60 and 90 °C. However, COP of the proposed chiller is higher than that of the three-bed chiller without mass recovery, when heat source temperature is below 65 °C.     

Exergetic comparison of two different cooling technologies for the power cycle of a thermal power plant

Exergetic analysis is without any doubt a powerful tool for developing, evaluating and improving an energy conversion system. In the present paper, two different cooling technologies for the power cycle of a 50 MWe solar thermal power plant are compared from the exergetic viewpoint. The Rankine cycle design is a conventional, single reheat design with five closed and one open extraction feedwater heaters. The software package GateCycle is used for the thermodynamic simulation of the Rankine cycle model. The first design configuration uses a cooling tower while the second configuration uses an air cooled condenser. With this exergy analysis we identify the location, magnitude and the sources or thermodynamic inefficiencies in this thermal system. This information is very useful for improving the overall efficiency of the power system and for comparing the performance of both technologies.     

Energetic and exergetic assessments of a novel solar power tower based multigeneration system with hydrogen production and liquefaction

In this article, a thermodynamic investigation of solar power tower assisted multigeneration system with hydrogen production and liquefaction is presented for more environmentally-benign multigenerational outputs. The proposed multigeneration system is consisted of mainly eight sub-systems, such as a solar power tower, a high temperature solid oxide steam electrolyzer, a steam Rankine cycle with two turbines, a hydrogen generation and liquefaction cycle, a quadruple effect absorption cooling process, a drying process, a membrane distillation unit and a domestic hot water tank to supply hydrogen, electrical power, heating, cooling, dry products, fresh and hot water generation for a community. The energetic and exergetic efficiencies for the performance of the present multigeneration system are found as 65.17% and 62.35%, respectively. Also, numerous operating conditions and parameters of the systems and their effects on the respective energy and exergy efficiencies are investigated, evaluated and discussed in this study. A parametric study is carried out to analyze the impact of various system design indicators on the sub-systems, exergy destruction rates and exergetic efficiencies and COPs. In addition, the impacts of varying the ambient temperature and solar radiation intensity on the irreversibility and exergetic performance for the present multigeneration system and its components are investigated and evaluated comparatively. According to the modeling results, the solar irradiation intensity is found to be the most influential parameter among other conditions and factors on system performance.     

Analysis of a solar assisted vapour compression cooling system

Exploitation of solar energy is becoming increasingly popular thanks to the potential saving on energy costs and to widespread environmental friendly policies. In this context, solar cooling is particularly interesting since greater cooling loads are usually needed in areas where the solar radiation is more abundant and during sunny seasons.The present work aims to evaluate the potential benefits of integrating a traditional vapour compression cycle with a solar powered ejection cycle, in order to take advantage of solar energy without prejudicing the possibility of cold production during night or cloudy days. A numerical model is implemented in order to simulate the behaviour of solar capitation circuit, ejection cycle and traditional cycle. Considering weather data and global plant performance, the model is thereafter used to estimate a set of global performance parameters.     

Modelling and simulation of an absorption solar cooling system for Cyprus

In this paper a modelling and simulation of an absorption solar cooling system is presented. The system is modelled with the TRNSYS simulation program and the typical meteorological year file containing the weather parameters of Nicosia, Cyprus. Initially a system optimisation is carried out in order to select the appropriate type of collector, the optimum size of storage tank, the optimum collector slope and area, and the optimum thermostat setting of the auxiliary boiler. The final optimised system consists of a 15-m² compound parabolic collector tilted 30° from the horizontal and a 600-l hot water storage tank. The collector area is determined by performing the life cycle analysis of the system. The optimum solar system selected gives life cycle savings of C£1376 when a nonsubsidized fuel cost is considered. The system operates with maximum performance when the auxiliary boiler thermostat is set at 87°C. The system long-term integrated performance shows that 84,240 MJ required for cooling and 41,263 MJ for hot water production are supplied with solar energy.     

An irreversible thermodynamic model for solar absorption refrigerator

A solar refrigerator is made of a solar collector and a refrigeration system. Real solar refrigerators usually operate between two limits, maximum coefficient of performance (COP) and maximum cooling load. A new model is presented to describe an irreversible absorption refrigerator, in which not only the irreversibilities of heat conduction but also those resulting from friction, eddy and other irreversible effects inside the working fluid are considered. The influence of these irreversible effects on the performance of an absorption refrigerator with continuous flow is investigated. The analytical expressions of the optimal refrigeration coefficient and the cooling rate of the refrigerator are derived. The predictions of the model are compared with semi-empirical cycle model of single-stage absorption refrigeration machines. The results obtained here can describe the optimal performance of a four temperature level absorption refrigeration affected simultaneously by the internal and external irreversibilities and provide the theoretical bases for the optimal design and operation of real absorption refrigerators operating between four temperature levels.