Design and analysis of a medium-temperature, concentrated solar thermal collector for air-conditioning applications

Abstract Solar thermal energy is considered as a promising source to drive air-conditioning applications due to the good correlation between supply and demand. The present work examines the feasibility of a novel, low-profile concentrated solar thermal collector to provide medium-temperature heat to commercial buildings for both heating and cooling purposes, aiming to reduce their non-renewable energy consumption levels. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the semi-passive tracking/concentrating platform employed in this collector represents a significant improvement for ‘stationary’ (internal tracking, the module itself remains fixed) solar concentrating technology. To investigate the real-world viability of this collector design for solar heating and cooling, a system-level techno-economic performance analysis is conducted using a validated TRNSYS model. The solar heating and cooling (SHC) system includes the proposed solar thermal collectors, an auxiliary heater, and a double-effect absorption chiller. In this study, the proposed solar collectors are employed to supply thermal energy to the chiller to offset the building cooling demand or the thermal energy can also be used directly to satisfy the building’s heating demand. When sufficient solar energy is not available, the auxiliary heater provides the rest of the heating and cooling demand. The annual solar fraction and economic metrics (e.g. total levelized costs) were used as the selection criteria among design options. The simulation results demonstrate that a specific collector area of 2.4 m2 per kW cooling and an optimal storage tank specific volume of 40 L/m2 are sufficient to cover 50% of the load requirement of the building. The economic analysis indicates that a levelized cost of cooling energy (LCOC) of ∼0.6 $/kW-h can be derived from this solar air-conditioning system.

[1]  Cheng Zheng,et al.  A new optical concentrator design and analysis for rooftop solar applications , 2015, SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications.

[2]  Ioan Sarbu,et al.  General review of solar-powered closed sorption refrigeration systems , 2015 .

[3]  Carlos Ramirez,et al.  Semi-Passive Solar Tracking Concentrator , 2014 .

[4]  Ruzhu Wang,et al.  Concentrated solar energy applications using Fresnel lenses: A review , 2011 .

[5]  Graham L. Morrison,et al.  TRNSYS modeling of a linear fresnel concentrating collector for solar cooling and hot water applications , 2015 .

[6]  Naci Kalkan,et al.  Solar thermal air conditioning technology reducing the footprint of solar thermal air conditioning , 2012 .

[7]  Paul Kohlenbach,et al.  Solar Cooling in Australia: The future of air-conditioning? , 2010 .

[8]  Ming Qu,et al.  A review for research and new design options of solar absorption cooling systems , 2011 .

[9]  Qiong-Hua Wang,et al.  Liquid prism for beam tracking and steering , 2012 .

[10]  K. Sumathy,et al.  Experimental and theoretical analysis on a linear Fresnel reflector solar collector prototype with V-shaped cavity receiver , 2013 .

[11]  Stephen White,et al.  A systematic parametric study and feasibility assessment of solar-assisted single-effect, double-effect, and triple-effect absorption chillers for heating and cooling applications , 2016 .

[12]  Christos N. Markides,et al.  An assessment of solar-powered organic Rankine cycle systems for combined heating and power in UK domestic applications , 2015 .

[13]  H. Duan,et al.  The specific heat and effective thermal conductivity of composites containing single-wall and multi-wall carbon nanotubes , 2009, Nanotechnology.

[14]  Ruzhu Wang,et al.  Theoretical and experimental analysis on efficiency factors and heat removal factors of Fresnel lens solar collector using different cavity receivers , 2012 .

[15]  Yunho Hwang,et al.  Optimization of a solar powered absorption cycle under Abu Dhabi’s weather conditions , 2010 .

[16]  Gary Rosengarten,et al.  Thermal performance of a novel rooftop solar micro-concentrating collector , 2012 .

[17]  Eduardo Zarza,et al.  Parabolic-trough solar collectors and their applications , 2010 .

[18]  Shay Cohen,et al.  Development of a solar collector with a stationary spherical reflector/tracking absorber for industrial process heat , 2016 .

[19]  Sung Yong Park,et al.  Design and optical analyses of an arrayed microfluidic tunable prism panel for enhancing solar energy collection , 2016 .

[20]  Mario Motta,et al.  Solar cooling systems utilizing concentrating solar collectors - An overview , 2012 .

[21]  Stephen White,et al.  Transient simulation and parametric study of solar-assisted heating and cooling absorption systems: An energetic, economic and environmental (3E) assessment , 2016 .

[22]  Robert A. Taylor,et al.  Thermal analysis of a micro solar thermal collector designed for methanol reforming , 2015 .

[23]  Atsushi Akisawa,et al.  Adsorption cooling driven by solar collector: A case study for Tokyo solar data , 2013 .

[24]  Detlev G. Kröger,et al.  A critical investigation into the heat and mass transfer analysis of counterflow wet-cooling towers , 2005 .

[25]  Lun Jiang,et al.  Performance of a 23KW Solar Thermal Cooling System Employing a Double Effect Absorption Chiller and Thermodynamically Efficient Non-tracking Concentrators , 2014 .

[26]  Stephen White,et al.  Solar-assisted absorption air-conditioning systems in buildings: Control strategies and operational modes , 2016 .

[27]  Rabah Gomri,et al.  Investigation of the potential of application of single effect and multiple effect absorption cooling systems , 2010 .

[28]  Michael J Tierney,et al.  Options for solar-assisted refrigeration—Trough collectors and double-effect chillers , 2007 .

[29]  Ruzhu Wang,et al.  Experimental investigation and analysis on a concentrating solar collector using linear Fresnel lens , 2010 .

[30]  Robert A. Taylor,et al.  Bright ideas for the future of industrial heating , 2016 .

[31]  Hans Müller-Steinhagen,et al.  Collector test method under quasi dynamic conditions according to the European Standard EN 12975-2 , 2004 .

[32]  Saffa Riffat,et al.  Building integrated solar thermal collectors – A review , 2015 .

[33]  Matteo Chiesa,et al.  Tracking-integrated systems for concentrating photovoltaics , 2016, Nature Energy.

[34]  Wattana Ratismith,et al.  Two non-tracking solar collectors: Design criteria and performance analysis , 2014 .

[35]  Aránzazu Fernández-García,et al.  Use of parabolic trough solar collectors for solar refrigeration and air-conditioning applications , 2013 .

[36]  Francesco Calise,et al.  Design and simulation of a prototype of a small-scale solar CHP system based on evacuated flat-plate solar collectors and Organic Rankine Cycle , 2015 .

[37]  Graham L. Morrison,et al.  Theoretical analysis of a novel, portable, CPC-based solar thermal collector for methanol reforming , 2014 .

[38]  Francesco Calise,et al.  Design and dynamic simulation of a novel polygeneration system fed by vegetable oil and by solar energy , 2012 .

[39]  Robert A. Taylor,et al.  Energy concentration limits in solar thermal heating applications , 2016 .

[40]  Robert Fuller,et al.  Solar industrial process heating in Australia – Past and current status , 2011 .

[41]  J. I. Rosell,et al.  Building integration of concentrating systems for solar cooling applications , 2013 .

[42]  A. Rabl Optical and thermal properties of Compound Parabolic Concentrators , 1975 .

[43]  Stephen White,et al.  A comprehensive, multi-objective optimization of solar-powered absorption chiller systems for air-conditioning applications , 2017 .

[44]  Carlos Ramirez,et al.  Innovative Solar Tracking Concept by Rotating Prism Array , 2014 .

[45]  Robert A. Taylor,et al.  Experimental and numerical investigation of volumetric versus surface solar absorbers for a concentrated solar thermal collector , 2016 .

[46]  Yong Sin Kim,et al.  Efficient stationary solar thermal collector systems operating at a medium-temperature range , 2013 .

[47]  C. A. Infante Ferreira,et al.  Solar refrigeration options – a state-of-the-art review , 2008 .

[48]  Francesco Calise,et al.  A novel solar-assisted heat pump driven by photovoltaic/thermal collectors: Dynamic simulation and thermoeconomic optimization , 2016 .