Technical and environmental performance of a solar/gas driven absorption chiller using NH3/LiNO3

Abstract

This study deals with the evaluation of the technical and environmental operation of solar/gas driven NH3/LiNO3 absorption chillers for malls under the environmental conditions of the city of Barranquilla, Colombia. It involves a sensitivity study on the absorption chillers performance at chilled water temperatures of 12 °C and 6 °C and different solar irradiations. It also includes the share of cooling and CO2 equivalent emissions provided by the absorption chillers considering as a base case the energy consumed by the mechanical vapour compression chillers operating in three selected malls. Results showed that solar energy could provide around 40% and 50% of the total energy required to drive the absorption chillers on a service day. This value could be increased by adding a higher solar panel area, however, the available roof area for solar equipment was a limiting factor. Moreover, the COP and SCOP of the absorption chillers were found up to 0.64 and 0.44, respectively. Additionally, the solar/gas driven absorption chillers could cover up to 83%, 100%, and 35% of the peak cooling requirements in malls 1, 2, and 3, respectively, while providing the highest reductions in CO2 equivalent emissions.

Keywords

• solar cooling
• absorption chillers
• ammonia
• lithium nitrate
• natural gas
• co2 emissions