Behavior of a household absorption-diffusion refrigerator adapted to autonomous solar operation

Abstract This article presents a study on the thermal performance of a solar refrigerator that is simple to use. The unit was developed from a commercial absorption-diffusion type refrigerator that had a flat plate collector substituted for its generator. An ammonia-water solution and hydrogen was used in the system. Since there is no hot thermal storage to operate the system continuously, cooling occurs during daytime only. The heat is rejected by natural air convection. A series of experiments was performed in which the system was solar powered and also operated in a solar simulator, in order to know the effects of the ambient temperature on the behavior of the apparatus.