The purpose of this thesis is to critically highlight the development of solar absorption refrigeration technologies through time. The factors that have prompted the urgent need to reconsider this area of engineering will also be analyzed in depth. The relevant research in the area of solar absorption to date will be shown with specific emphasis on its contribution to industrial and domestic cooling systems. The Middle East may be awash with oil in the present circumstances with 48% of the known oil reserves in the world but challenges exist owing to fossil fuel being a finite resource and its exploitation fraught with environmental problems. Therefore developing solar cooling systems appears to be an essential and inevitable requisite for harnessing solar energy in order to make a lasting contribution to the development of the region, as well as the world Targeting the coefficient of performance (COP) of the solar absorption refrigeration systems was considered to be the fundamental part of this research. By investigating the absorber chamber in an absorption refrigeration system, it was found that enhancing the quality of the spray of the absorber fluid could raise the COP. Using a Phase Doppler Anemometry (PDA), a detailed analysis of the spray characteristics was achievable; this helped in targeting parameters which will have influence on the spray characteristics. These include the nozzle geometry, for instance, the size of orifice, as well as the internal forces of the liquid such as viscosity and surface tension. Operating parameters were also considered to influence the spray quality. The main operating parameter is to create a partial vacuum to simulate the absorber chamber working condition. Results revealed that high viscosity of the fluid and the vacuum had negative effects towards spray quality. But when combining these with a surfactant such as 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, the spray quality increases in terms of droplet diameter, which in turn decreases and thereby causes an increase in the surface area to volume ratio, resulting in the enhancement of COP.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:629858 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Al Juma, Marwan |
| Publisher | Cardiff University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://orca.cf.ac.uk/67695/ |
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