Study of a double-acting solar collector for use in the absorption cooling system in hot regions

Solar cooling systems are part of energy-saving technologies aiming to reduce energy consumption and achieving the goals of combating climate change. A mathematical model of a double-acting solar collector (DASC) for daytime solar heating and nocturnal radiative cooling for its application to a single-effect absorption chiller (SEAC) H2O-LiBr was developed in this study. The performances of the DASC were studied for all day, and optimization study of the operating parameters for all components of a SEAC applied to the DASC was examined in Bamako weather conditions. Thermal efficiency of the DASC with at zero reduced temperature reached 0.734 with a heat loss of 4.51 W/ (m(2)K) in daytime, and an average net radiative cooling power of 58.74 W/m(2) in nighttime. A COP of a SEAC H2O-LiBr reached 0.87, and a performance of the whole system was 0.64.

Automated summary

A mathematical model for a solar collector that can provide solar heating during the day and radiative cooling at night was developed. The study also optimized the operating parameters of the system in Bamako weather conditions.