What is it about?
This study explores how to make solar ponds—large bodies of saltwater that store heat from the sun—more useful by increasing the temperature of the heat they produce. Solar ponds can usually only reach about 90°C, which limits their applications. The researchers designed and tested a single-stage absorption heat transformer powered by heat from a solar pond. Using a water/lithium bromide mixture, the system successfully boosted the temperature of the stored heat up to 124°C. The work includes experimental data showing how temperature, concentration, and efficiency interact to determine performance. The results prove that solar pond energy can be upgraded to levels suitable for industrial or process heating using relatively simple technology.
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Why is it important?
Solar ponds are a low-cost and environmentally friendly way to collect solar energy, but their limited temperature output has restricted their use. This research is important because it demonstrates a practical way to enhance their usefulness through heat transformation. By coupling a heat transformer to a solar pond, the system can provide higher-temperature energy without burning fuels or adding complex machinery. This approach could enable new renewable energy applications—such as steam production, water desalination, and industrial heating—especially in sunny regions with limited infrastructure.
Perspectives
From a technical point of view, this paper presents one of the earliest experimental evaluations of a single-stage absorption heat transformer coupled to a solar pond. Operating with the water/lithium bromide mixture, the unit achieved gross temperature lifts up to 44°C and useful heat temperatures of 124°C, with coefficients of performance between 0.10 and 0.16. These results, though modest, demonstrate clear feasibility and validate theoretical models of heat upgrading. The experimental design and thermodynamic analysis offer valuable insights for scaling up solar thermal systems and optimizing low-temperature renewable energy resources.
Professor Rosenberg J Romero
Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Morelos
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Evaluation of a heat transformer powered by a solar pond, Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, August 2000, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/s0927-0248(00)00060-x.
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