Development of a Aolar Intermittent Refrigeration System for Ice Production

Abstract

A solar powered intermittent absorption refrigeration system has been developed at the Centro de Investigación en Energía of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. The system was evaluated with the ammonia/lithium nitrate/water (NH3/LiNO3/H2O) mixture. The system was designed to produce up to 8 kg/day of ice. The system consists of a Compound Parabolic Concentrator (CPC) with a cylindrical receiver acting as the generator/absorber, a condenser, an evaporator and an expansion valve. The system operates exclusively with solar energy and no moving parts are required. Evaporator temperatures as low as -11°C were obtained for a period of time up to 8 hours. Coefficients of performance as high as 0.098 were obtained. These coefficients were 24% higher than those obtained with the same system operating with the binary ammonia/lithium nitrate (NH3/LiNO3) mixture previously reported in the literature. The results showed that the developed system seems to be a good alternative for refrigeration in zones where electricity is not available.