TITLE:
Establishment of a Model for the Calculation of the COP of a Solar Adsorption Refrigerator
AUTHORS:
Amadou Konfe, Gilbert G. Nana, Salif Ouedraogo, Sié Kam
KEYWORDS:
Solar, Refrigeration, Adsorption, Coefficient of Performance, Modelling
JOURNAL NAME:
Smart Grid and Renewable Energy,
Vol.14 No.11,
November
29,
2023
ABSTRACT: This paper deals with the evaluation of the Coefficient of
Performance (COP) of solar adsorption refrigeration. In the literature, simulation
models to predict the thermal behaviour and
the coefficient of performance of these systems are uncommon. This is
why we suggest a model to simulate the operation of the machine in a typical
hot and dry climate of the city of Ouagadougou.
The objective is to provide a model for calculating the COP from the measurement of the ambient temperature and the irradiation of a given site. Starting from mathematical modelling, a resolution
and simulation were made with COMSOL
software based on the Dubinin-Astakhov adsorption model, the heat transfer balance equations, and the
Linear Driving Force (LDF) model to
describe the thermal behaviour of the system. A one-week measurement sequence on the adsorption solar refrigerator at
the Albert Schweitzer Ecological
Centre (CEAS) validated the numerical results. The measurement shows that for the days with high sunshine, the
temperature of the reaction medium reaches 110°C, and the
pressure reaches 500 mbar.
This leads to a production of cold that allows it to reach the temperature of -5°C at the evaporator. Under these conditions, the COP is
worth 14%. These results are obtained both by numerical simulation using the COMSOL
5.1 software and after a measurement session
on the solar refrigerator available to the CEAS. We obtained an experimental and theoretical coefficient of performance
varying between 9% and 14% with a difference of between 0% and 3%. We conclude that our model is suitable to estimate the
COP of any device based on its thermal properties, the ambient temperature and the irradiation of a
given site.