What is it about?
This study dives into an innovative cooling system that uses a unique hydrophobic porous membrane as both a desorber and condenser, powered entirely by solar energy. The system operates intermittently, meaning it cycles on and off, making it an interesting option for sustainable cooling. To understand how well this system works, we ran experiments on a small-scale membrane unit to measure how much refrigerant it could produce at different temperatures. Using those results, we designed a larger-scale model of the cooling system, incorporating data from real solar collectors and assuming a 1-square-meter membrane area.
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Why is it important?
Based on the clear patterns we observed in refrigerant production, we explored additional conditions to see how far we could push the system. By increasing the initial concentration of lithium bromide (LiBr) in the system from 50.30% to 54.83% (by weight) at 95.1°C, we achieved an impressively low evaporator temperature of 6°C. However, this came at a cost: the COP dropped by 33%, meaning the system became less efficient overall.
Perspectives
The trends we uncovered in this study could guide future designs for solar-powered cooling systems. By fine-tuning the desorber temperature and LiBr concentration, engineers can balance cooling performance and efficiency to create more sustainable and effective cooling solutions.
Professor Rosenberg J Romero
Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Morelos
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Novel intermittent absorption cooling system based on membrane separation process, Applied Thermal Engineering, May 2018, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2018.03.039.
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