Review of solar cooling methods and thermal storage options

Power shortage and unstable power supply remain serious problems. Conventional cooling technologies that utilize harmful refrigerants consume more energy and cause peak loads leading to negative environmental impacts. As the world grapples with the energy and environmental crisis, there is an urgent need to develop and promote environmentally benign sustainable cooling technologies. Solar cooling is one such promising technology, given the fact that solar energy is the cheapest and widely available renewable energy that matches the cooling load requirements. Thermal storage systems are essential to overcome the disadvantage of the intermittent nature of solar energy and variation in cooling demand. The enhanced utilization of solar energy and other consequences of thermal storage integrated systems have gained the attention of researchers in the recent years. This paper reviews research articles in the field of solar cooling techniques, solar collectors, storage methods and their integration, along with performance improvement studies reported using thermal stratification and cascaded thermal storage systems.

[1]  Xu Liu,et al.  Experimental study on cool storage air-conditioning system with spherical capsules packed bed , 2010 .

[2]  Amenallah Guizani,et al.  Feasibility of solar absorption air conditioning in Tunisia , 2008 .

[3]  C. A. Infante Ferreira,et al.  Air-cooled LiBr–water absorption chillers for solar air conditioning in extremely hot weathers , 2009 .

[4]  Ibrahim Dincer,et al.  Effect of stratification on energy and exergy capacities in thermal storage systems , 2004 .

[5]  Masahiko Yamada,et al.  Melting heat transfer inside ducts and over external bodies , 1999 .

[6]  L. Cabeza,et al.  Experimental evaluation of commercial heat exchangers for use as PCM thermal storage systems , 2009 .

[7]  Xiaoqiang Zhai,et al.  A review for absorbtion and adsorbtion solar cooling systems in China , 2009 .

[8]  Francisco J. Batlles,et al.  Integration of the solar thermal energy in the construction: Analysis of the solar-assisted air-conditioning system installed in CIESOL building , 2009 .

[9]  H. Mehling,et al.  Solar heating and cooling system with absorption chiller and low temperature latent heat storage: Energetic performance and operational experience , 2009 .

[10]  Ibrahim Dincer,et al.  Performance analyses of sensible heat storage systems for thermal applications , 1997 .

[11]  J. Kreider,et al.  Field measurement of chilled water storage thermal performance , 1989 .

[12]  Arif Hepbasli,et al.  Energetic and exergetic analysis and assessment of a thermal energy storage (TES) unit for building applications , 2010 .

[13]  Graeme Maidment,et al.  A novel experimental investigation of a solar cooling system in Madrid , 2005 .

[14]  Jean-Pierre Bédécarrats,et al.  Phase-change thermal energy storage using spherical capsules: performance of a test plant , 1996 .

[15]  Guiyin Fang,et al.  Dynamic performances of solar heat storage system with packed bed using myristic acid as phase change material , 2011 .

[16]  Luisa F. Cabeza,et al.  Dimensionless numbers used to characterize stratification in water tanks for discharging at low flow rates. , 2010 .

[17]  Michael W. Jack,et al.  Thermodynamic optimization of a stratified thermal storage device , 2009 .

[18]  Theocharis Tsoutsos,et al.  Design of a solar absorption cooling system in a Greek hospital , 2010 .

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

[20]  Francesco Calise,et al.  Thermoeconomic analysis and optimization of high efficiency solar heating and cooling systems for different Italian school buildings and climates , 2010 .

[21]  Y. Varol,et al.  Energy and exergy analysis of a latent heat storage system with phase change material for a solar collector , 2008 .

[22]  G. Fang,et al.  Thermal performance simulations of a packed bed cool thermal energy storage system using n-tetradecane as phase change material , 2010 .

[23]  Kourosh Javaherdeh,et al.  Simulation of solar lithium bromide–water absorption cooling system with parabolic trough collector , 2008 .

[24]  Ruzhu Wang,et al.  A REVIEW OF THERMALLY ACTIVATED COOLING TECHNOLOGIES FOR COMBINED COOLING, HEATING AND POWER SYSTEMS , 2011 .

[25]  M. Cheralathan,et al.  Energy Management through Encapsulated PCM Based Storage System for Large Building Air Conditioning Application , 2006 .

[26]  Wenxian Lin,et al.  Numerical simulation of three-dimensional flow dynamics in a hot water storage tank , 2009 .

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

[28]  Bernard Franković,et al.  Analysis of the influence of operating conditions and geometric parameters on heat transfer in water-paraffin shell-and-tube latent thermal energy storage unit , 2006 .

[29]  S Ayyash,et al.  Performance results of solar absorption cooling installation , 1985 .

[30]  Kamil Kaygusuz,et al.  Thermal energy storage performance of paraffin in a novel tube-in-shell system , 2008 .

[31]  S. Devotta,et al.  ANALYSIS OF SOLAR ABSORPTION COOLING SYSTEMS WITH LOW GENERATOR TEMPERATURES. , 1985 .

[32]  Jeffrey M. Gordon,et al.  HIGH-EFFICIENCY SOLAR COOLING , 2000 .

[33]  Hongbo He,et al.  Modeling of a solar-assisted HVAC system with thermal storage , 2010 .

[34]  A. Mujumdar,et al.  Thermodynamic optimization of the thermal process in energy storage using multiple phase change materials , 1997 .

[35]  Clemens Pollerberg,et al.  Performance assessment of an integrated free cooling and solar powered single-effect lithium bromide-water absorption chiller , 2008 .

[36]  Ibrahim Dincer,et al.  Numerical heat transfer analysis of encapsulated ice thermal energy storage system with variable heat transfer coefficient in downstream , 2009 .

[37]  M. C. Rodríguez Hidalgo,et al.  Energy and carbon emission savings in Spanish housing air-conditioning using solar driven absorption system , 2008 .

[38]  M. Kanoğlu,et al.  Effect of obstacles on thermal stratification in hot water storage tanks , 2005 .

[39]  Berhane H. Gebreslassie,et al.  Exergy analysis of multi-effect water–LiBr absorption systems: From half to triple effect , 2010 .

[40]  Ibrahim Dincer,et al.  An approach to entropy analysis of a latent heat storage module , 2008 .

[41]  Xavier García Casals,et al.  Solar absorption cooling in Spain: Perspectives and outcomes from the simulation of recent installations , 2006 .

[42]  Armando C. Oliveira,et al.  Energy and economic analysis of an integrated solar absorption cooling and heating system in different building types and climates , 2009 .

[43]  Luisa F. Cabeza,et al.  Review on thermal energy storage with phase change: materials, heat transfer analysis and applications , 2003 .

[44]  Vincent Goetz,et al.  Energy storage comparison of sorption systems for cooling and refrigeration , 2002 .

[45]  Georgios A. Florides,et al.  Modelling, simulation and warming impact assessment of a domestic-size absorption solar cooling system , 2002 .

[46]  Alain Bastide,et al.  Modeling and experimental validation of the solar loop for absorption solar cooling system using double-glazed collectors , 2011 .

[47]  Ibrahim Dincer,et al.  Heat transfer analysis of phase change process in a finned-tube thermal energy storage system using artificial neural network , 2007 .

[48]  Donald E. Beasley,et al.  Optimization of a Packed Bed Thermal Energy Storage Unit , 1987 .

[49]  Christopher J. Koroneos,et al.  Solar air conditioning systems and their applicability—An exergy approach , 2010 .

[50]  A. Bejan,et al.  Thermal Energy Storage: Systems and Applications , 2002 .

[51]  M. G. Osman,et al.  Performance analysis of a solar air-conditioned villa in the arabian gulf , 1985 .

[52]  Matteo Chiesa,et al.  Systematic comprehensive techno-economic assessment of solar cooling technologies using location-specific climate data , 2010 .

[53]  Franck Lucas,et al.  Experimental investigation of a solar cooling absorption system operating without any backup system under tropical climate , 2010 .

[54]  Hamid Ait Adine,et al.  Numerical analysis of the thermal behaviour of a shell-and-tube heat storage unit using phase change materials , 2009 .

[55]  K. Lafdi,et al.  Effect of multiple phase change materials (PCMs) slab configurations on thermal energy storage , 2006 .

[56]  Amenallah Guizani,et al.  Solar Powered air conditioning as a solution to reduce environmental pollution in Tunisia , 2005 .

[57]  D. E. Beasley,et al.  Transient response of a packed bed for thermal energy storage , 1983 .

[58]  R. Velraj,et al.  Performance analysis on industrial refrigeration system integrated with encapsulated PCM‐based cool thermal energy storage system , 2007 .

[59]  L. Cabeza,et al.  PCM-module to improve hot water heat stores with stratification , 2003 .

[60]  Darine Zambrano,et al.  Model development and validation of a solar cooling plant , 2008 .

[61]  K. J. Maloney,et al.  A comparison study of one-dimensional models for stratified thermal storage tanks , 1989 .

[62]  Agis M. Papadopoulos,et al.  Perspectives of solar cooling in view of the developments in the air-conditioning sector , 2003 .

[63]  Simon Furbo,et al.  Multilayer fabric stratification pipes for solar tanks , 2007 .

[64]  W. P. Bahnfleth,et al.  Field-measured performance of four full-scale cylindrical stratified chilled-water thermal storage tanks , 1999 .

[65]  M. Wahlig,et al.  Cost and Performance Goals for Commercial Active Solar Absorption Cooling Systems , 1985 .

[66]  Soteris A. Kalogirou,et al.  Simulation and optimization of a LiBr solar absorption cooling system with evacuated tube collectors , 2005 .

[67]  Simon Furbo,et al.  Methods to determine stratification efficiency of thermal energy storage processes – Review and theoretical comparison , 2009 .

[68]  Simon Furbo,et al.  Theoretical and experimental investigations of inlet stratifiers for solar storage tanks , 2005 .

[69]  A. R. Balakrishnan,et al.  Transient analysis of energy storage in a thermally stratified water tank , 1998 .

[70]  S. Moustafa,et al.  Factors Affecting Static Stratification of Thermal Water Storage , 1989 .

[71]  Umberto Desideri,et al.  Solar-powered cooling systems: Technical and economic analysis on industrial refrigeration and air-conditioning applications , 2009 .

[72]  Felix Ziegler,et al.  Sorption heat pumping technologies: Comparisons and challenges , 2009 .

[73]  B. J. McCoy,et al.  Dynamic response of a packed bed thermal storage system—a model for solar air heating , 1982 .

[74]  S. C. Solanki,et al.  An analysis of a packed bed latent heat thermal energy storage system using PCM capsules: Numerical investigation , 2009 .

[75]  J. J. Rizza,et al.  Lithium Bromide and Water Thermal Storage System , 1988 .

[76]  Francis Agyenim,et al.  Heat transfer enhancement in medium temperature thermal energy storage system using a multitube heat transfer array , 2010 .

[77]  Lingai Luo,et al.  Review of solar sorption refrigeration technologies: Development and applications , 2007 .

[78]  Mohammad Omar Abdullah,et al.  Comparative analysis of performance and techno-economics for a H2O–NH3–H2 absorption refrigerator driven by different energy sources , 2010 .

[79]  Juan C. Ordonez,et al.  Modeling, simulation and optimization of a solar collector driven water heating and absorption cooling plant , 2009 .

[80]  S. Chungpaibulpatana,et al.  A review of absorption refrigeration technologies , 2001 .

[81]  Kambiz Vafai,et al.  Thermal charging and discharging of sensible and latent heat storage packed beds , 1991 .

[82]  Z. F Li,et al.  Performance study of a partitioned thermally stratified storage tank in a solar powered absorption air conditioning system , 2002 .

[83]  Theocharis Tsoutsos,et al.  Solar cooling technologies in Greece. An economic viability analysis , 2003 .

[84]  Francis Agyenim,et al.  Design and experimental testing of the performance of an outdoor LiBr/H2O solar thermal absorption cooling system with a cold store , 2010 .

[85]  L. Cabeza,et al.  Experimentation with a water tank including a PCM module , 2006 .

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

[87]  N. Nallusamy,et al.  Numerical and Experimental Investigation on a Combined Sensible and Latent Heat Storage Unit Integrated With Solar Water Heating System , 2009 .

[88]  Nesreen Ghaddar,et al.  Numerical simulation of stratification behaviour in thermal storage tanks , 1989 .

[89]  Sirichai Thepa,et al.  Experience with fully operational solar-driven 10-ton LiBr/H2O single-effect absorption cooling system in Thailand , 2008 .