EXPERIMENTATION AND MODELIZATION OF AN ADSORPTION SOLAR REFRIGERATIONUNIT

In order to develop autonomous refrigeration systems, a prototype of s olar refrigerating store has been installed in Tunisia. This unit uses water-zeolite adsorption system with plan collectors. A series of mea surements allowed to determine the features of this unit: zeolite temp erature, collector efficiency and solar and thermodynamic coefficients . To justify those measurements, a model was developped: this model wh ose linear base equations are included here-with enables us to describ e the thermal transfers in the collectors and the water desorption. Th e use of this model in these experimental conditions allowed us to fin d a good agreement with the performances of this unit. This model was used to foresee possible performances according to the solar energy co rresponding to various seasons. It was also used to foresee the variat ions in the performances according to the zeolite mass and it was show n that the optimal zeolite mass was included between 20 and 24 kg/sqm of collector. That justifies our choice of 22 kd/sqm used to make thes e collectors.