Solar absorption air conditioning alternatives

Abstract The relative advantages of a single-stage, lithium bromide-water absorption air conditioner heated from a flat-plate solar collector are compared theoretically to those for an ammonia-water system, and the lithium bromide system is selected as the preferred one. Double-stage absorption systems with their improved performance are described and are shown theoretically to require generator temperatures that are too great to make them attractive for use with flat-plate collectors. Dual, series-connected systems which require no cooling tower for heat rejection are shown by analysis to have a low coefficient of performance. Systems utilizing refrigerant storage and a heat rejection buffer between a cooling tower and the absorber and condenser are discussed along with the computer simulation describing them. They are shown to require smaller cooling towers than conventional units. Operation with an air heat exchanger rather than the cooling tower in such a system is shown to yield acceptable system performance with a small reduction in the fraction of the cooling load which can be met with solar energy.