solar air conditioner issue

[Lc_shi]

Hi dear sirs
Solar energy use is a big trend at the time of high oil price. I've learned that many studies in solar energy air conditioner but it seems there's no practical product in this field. What will be the best style of solar energy use in ac field? hope your input. thaks

regards
LC

[The MG Pony]

Ammonia absorption or lithium bromide absorption would be the best and most logical in my mind as the heat can be used directly.

[icecube51]

i had made some dribbles once in that area,but its hard to find materials here in Belgium.

Ice

[ice_cool]

there is already some practical solar ac products. but it works very poor. still nees quite a lot improvement.

[ryanzhao]

we alreadly developing compressor for this kindly ac

[nike123]

we alreadly developing compressor for this kindly ac

Could you explain basic principle of system and compressor?

[billv]

we alreadly developing compressor for this kindly ac

Why develop when you can copy someone else's idea?

[hank13]

does anyone have a link to solar ac theory or any other info

thanks rick

[Greengrocer]

does anyone have a link to solar ac theory or any other info

thanks rick

http://www.sanyoaircon.com/products/solar-powered/

[nike123]

http://www.sanyoaircon.com/products/solar-powered/

And I taught that is some new technology in question.

[ivank2139]

The Sanyo link noted above appears to be broken for me in the USA. I did find the Sanyo notes on their new system. It uses PV arrays. I want to develop or find components for a solar thermal system using a chiller absorbtion unit and solar panels providing heated water directly. I live in Florida and I think a solar thermal HVAC system would be quite attractive. I don't want a heat pump although the systems from Robur are quite similar. I think a single stage ammonia absorbtion system operating at a slight vacuum would be able to utilize the heated water to drive the absorbtion process. Any thoughts or suggestions laong these lines are welcome.

[Kabuusu]

does that product really exist, if it does i better start getting info about, it will be amazing.

[DocFreeze]

One of my professors in school built one on campus to demonstrate what a Zen Master he was at heat transfer. He really is staggeringly bright.

h t t p://webpages.csus.edu/~sac74496/

It appears that his company website is down, but I think he may still teach at Sac State.

[chillman]

I've been wondering for awhile now: Isn't there a way to use a solar heat collector to help drive an absortion system, like using the heat obtained from the solar collector to help drive the sytem and have a secondary burner like the ones that use a flame that you see in old refrigeration text books, I don't know too much about absorption systems and never come acros one that uses an open flame..
but surely it's possible?...right?!

[Darrbaby]

sounds like a camper fridge. runs on ac or dc and solar with battery or propane. or am i mistaken?

[DEVIL]

Here are some links with docs it might help

http://www.ese.iitb.ac.in/~icaer2007...01_TS1%20A.pdf
http://www.sjtuirc.sjtu.edu.cn/news/...%20101%20K.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absorption_refrigerator

And in the past old fridges worked like this, but instead of solar heat they used a heating coil power by electricity, so the technique works but cheaper and more cost efficient compressors over past it.

And you could have the different approach by having a danfoss compressor optimized for solar powered electricity cells you can find it on the web page

[pdvjak]

We have made a prototype solar thermal icemaker, based on Ammonia/Water, here in Bali, Indonesia.... Works beautifully... We use flat-plate collectors for bringing heating fluid up to 100 C, then boost that in a parabolic trough concentrator to 130-140 C. Now needs scaling up and compacting... Can, of course, also be used for solar thermal AC... Email me on pdv@containedenergy.com, if you want to know/see more...

[Tesla]

Hi Lc shi again
You have interesting thoughts and questions. So here's my 5 cents worth. In the states they use (lease) photovoltaic systems to run supermarket refrigeration and ac. In china they produce the best evacuated tube solar heat collectors. So it's just a matter of design of an ac/refrigeration system to utilise these solar collectors and the relativley new absorbtion (hope I spelt that right) chillers from India with a little extra capacitance to ensure reliablilaty for a system that works with minimal external energy expenditure.

[dave101]

solar power is every where... but the facility is really expensive... how it can last is also a question since its gonna be using batteries I guess.

[Windy Allah]

Hi guys. I'm new to this site but it has helped me a lot already both on the field and educating the apprentices.
With regards to the subject of Solar Air Conditioning there is a product that is using Solar energy to its advantage. The technology originated from China. I've also seen it in USA (Atlantic Air Conditioning) and is currently being released in Australia (EEG).The idea is it uses Solar energy via panel or vacuum tube heat collector to pre heat the refrigerant prior to entering the condenser/heat exchanger. This allows the refrigerant to fully dump its latent and sensible heat load and sub cool. It has R410a (near azeotropic gas) which as we all know has a very high volumetric capacity compared to R22. It also has the current inverter technology. This was awarded the highest star rating (see energyrating.gov.au) for it's size. Currently only 5 kW Inverter Split is available.

[MikeHolm]

Guys, while at major solar conference in Germany 5-6 years ago, I was told by the head of one of one of the largest Chinese vacuum tube companies that their product, and this applies to all double tube (Sydney type) of has a lifespan of 6-8 years and given the economic conditions in China, this is OK.

When there is no infrastructure, any product that provides cheap heating is a good product. It doesn't matter that 5% of tubes will fail annually as they are so cheap to replace and the beauty of it is that almost anyone can do it.

But this is not applicable to anywhere that has sustained temps below -10C. These tubes will exhibit thermal stresses that will shorten its lifespan further. Just a fact of life folks. I have installed many hundreds of vacuum collectors and will not do so anymore.

In North America and Europe we expect a 20 year lifespan and you can only get it with a flat panel. 90% of the vacuum panels brought in from China, into North America, come with no usable warranty and unlike Europe, most companies do not make the balance of the collector or system and are just importers of cheap materials, as Walmart is an importer of cheap socks (and how long do they last).

[Lovelle]

A solar air conditioner is an incredibly practical appliance. The use of an air conditioner is most often desired when the sun is bright, shiny, and beating down on people and their homes. As luck would have it, it is at these times that a solar air conditioner works best. That bright, hot sun just provides more power.

A large percentage of the energy usage which shows up on summer electricity bills is spent solely because of the air conditioner. By utilizing a solar powered air conditioner, all that money can be saved. In addition to lessening the power bill, a solar air conditioner also lessens the negative impact on the environment.

You can cool your home 100% guilt-free (provided, of course, that a solar powered evaporative cooler isn't chosen instead, as this requires water.)

[Lovelle]

As an additional info, Solar air conditioner can be done through passive solar, solar thermal energy conversion and photovoltaic conversion (sun to electricity). The U.S. Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007created 2008 through 2012 funding for a new solar air conditioning research and development program, which should develop and demonstrate multiple new technology innovations and mass production economies of scale. Solar air conditioning will play an increasing role in zero energy and energy-plus buildings design.

[MikeHolm]

On another thread here I gave a link to the European association that deals with solar air conditioning. The best and brightest are there (no I am not a member). The Sanyo product should not even be called solar because it is only using their standard PV panels to create the electricity which either goes into the grid and drives the standard Sanyo split or gets stored in batteries to be used later. Either way it is just a way for them to get some attention.

There are currently around 500 solar cooling plants around the world (two years ago it was only 250). Most are absorption and adsorption systems with a few desecant ones as well. Google the IEA task on solar cooling. Tonnes of info there.

[duke]

the propane fridge at our cabin at the lake most certainly ran on flame, as it was without any electricity. this was circa 1960.

[duke]

i think a diy solar a/c could be built with:

one off the shelf propane chest freezer per ~ 30cuM of living space
.5 sqM of light tubes per chest freezer, with one very small angle elbow to direct the light towards:
one .5sqM fresnel lens per light tube array.
one ceramic vessel with volume .2cuM per fresnel lens.
salt to fill said vessel,(to be placed directly below the freezer).
thermal siphon loop with suitable H.T.F. coiled within the sand and around the 'add heat part" of the absorber.
thermostatic control to allow or stop the H.T.F. flow.

flaws inherent? open to why nots.

[zeotrope]

Hi guys, there are several companies who offer sorbtion chillers that can be
fed with solar-thermal heat. The general problem is that the feed needs to
provide a constat high temperature ... and the machines only work proper
if the level of temperature is kept. Usually these devices need a massive
cooler somewhere too. You can google for Yazaki chillers, I have seen a 250 kW
adsorption chiller working in Athens, Greece with Sunda Seido Vacuum Panels
and a wet cooling tower. Smallest sized adsorbtion units I know come from germany
http://www.sortech.de/ 8-15 kW ~ 2.2 to 4 R/T and EAW delivers LiBr Absorbers for
low temperature feeds too, website in german only, google for the machine Wegracal
if you are interested.
If you just want to run a small refrigerator use a Danfoss (there are most likely others too)
DC compressor and connect it to a solar panel with a battery, it is most likely much cheaper
and built much quicker.