Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 2, 2026

Experimental System of Solar Adsorption Refrigeration with Concentrated Collector
Published on: October 18, 2017
A state of the art on solar-powered vapor absorption cooling systems integrated with thermal energy storage
Dinesh Kumar Sharma1,2, Dilip Sharma3, Ahmed Hamza H Ali4
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Swami Keshvanand Institute of Technology, Management and Gramothan, Jaipur, 302017, India. dinesh.sharma@skit.ac.in.
Abstract:
The intermittent nature of solar energy is a dominant factor in exploring well-designed thermal energy storages for consistent operation of solar thermal-powered vapor absorption systems. Thermal energy storage acts as a buffer and moderator between solar thermal collectors and generators of absorption chillers and significantly improves the system performance. Vapor absorption chillers are available in half, single, double, and triple-effect modes of operation and operate at temperatures ranging from 75 to 220 °C to produce a cooling effect with COPs ranging from 0.3 to 1.8. Thus, the selection of appropriate solar collectors and thermal energy storages are two significant decisions affecting the consistency of output of a vapor absorption refrigeration system. The present review of state of the art is focused on the appropriate selection, from among different types of solar collectors available to meet the demand of capacity and degree of thermal energy required in operating absorption chillers at optimum performance. Characteristics of various thermal energy storage systems and their integration with solar thermal collectors and absorption chillers are also investigated to meet the demand for heat during non-sunshine hours or periods of low solar intensity. In the latter section, economic feasibility is explored so that a sustainable solar cooling system can be proposed which can work consistently with the best performance throughout its entire life.
Related Concept Videos
Vaporization
Vapor Pressure Lowering
Refrigerators and Heat Pumps
A household refrigerator removes heat from...
Phase Transitions: Vaporization and Condensation
Thermal Sigmatropic Reactions: Overview
Sigmatropic shifts are classified based on an order term [i, j ], where i and j indicate the number of atoms across which each end of the σ bond migrates. Below are examples of a [3,3] sigmatropic shift in 1,5-hexadiene, referred...
Heating and Cooling Curves
For instance, the addition of heat raises the temperature of a solid; the amount of heat absorbed depends on the heat capacity of the solid (q = mcsolidΔT). According to thermochemistry, the relation between the amount of heat absorbed or released by a substance, q, and its...

