RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Simulation of a solar-assisted air-conditioning system applied to a remote school
A1 Aguilar Jiménez, Jesús Armando
A1 Velázquez, Nicolás
A1 López Zavala, Ricardo
A1 González Uribe, Luis A.
A1 Beltran Chacon, Ricardo
A1 Hernández Callejo, Luis
K1 Renewable energy
K1 Energía renovable
K1 Solar cooling
K1 Refrigeración solar
K1 Air conditioning
K1 Aire acondicionado
AB In this work, we present an absorption cooling system with 35 kW capacity driven by solar thermal energy, installed in the school of Puertecitos, Mexico, an off-grid community with a high level of social marginalization. The cooling system provides thermal comfort to the school’s classrooms through four 8.75-kW cooling coils, while a 110-m2 field of evacuated tube solar collectors delivers the thermal energy needed to activate the cooling machine. The characteristics of the equipment installed in the school were used for simulation and operative analysis of the system under the influence of typical factors of an isolated coastal community, such as the influence of climate, thermal load, and water consumption in the cooling tower, among others. The aim of this simulation study was to determine the best operating conditions prior to system start-up, to establish the requirements for external heating and cooling services, and to quantify the freshwater requirements for the proper functioning of the system. The results show that, with the simulated strategies implemented, with a maximum load operation, the system can maintain thermal comfort in the classrooms for five days of classes. This is feasible as long as weekends are dedicated to raising the water temperature in the thermal storage tank. As the total capacity of the system is distributed in the four cooling coils, it is possible to control the cooling demand in order to extend the operation periods. Utilizing 75% or less of the cooling capacity, the system can operate continuously, taking advantage of stored energy. The cooling tower requires about 750 kg of water per day, which becomes critical given the scarcity of this resource in the community.
PB MDPI
SN 0214-4842
YR 2019
FD 2019
LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/55891
UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/55891
LA eng
NO Applied Sciences, 2019, vol. 9, n. 16, 3398
NO Producción Científica
DS UVaDOC
RD 22-dic-2024