INVESTIGATION OF THERMAL PERFORMANCE OF A SOLAR-POWERED ABSORPTION-REFRIGERATION SYSTEM

It is well known that the energy consumption of refrigerating and air- conditioning units is as high as heating systems. It is also clear tha t cooling loads and availability of solar radiation are approximately in phase. Turkey is located in an ideal position to benefit from solar energy for not only water-heating but also cooling. The use of solar powered absorption refrigerating and air-conditioning systems will sav e energy, especially in the summer season. The contribution of these s ystems to the Turkish energy sector and, consequently, to the economy will be considerably high. In this study, a combined water-heating and cooling system based on absorption refrigeration was designed and con structed. The system consists of four flat plate collectors, an evapor ator, an absorber, a generator, a condenser, a solution pump and two h eat exchangers. Each part was custom designed to provide 4000 kcal/h c ooling load. In this system, a mixture of R22 and DMETEG (DiMethyl Eth er Tetra Ethylene Glycol) is used as the working fluid. The R22, which has a less damaging effect on the ozone layer compared to other CFCs, was employed as refrigerant. The thermodynamic results of the experim ental system were compared with theoretical calculations, and a reason ably good agreement was found. The results show that the present syste m is efficient and effective.