Published Resources Details
Thesis
- Title
- On solar operation of absorption air conditioners
- Type of Work
- PhD thesis
- Imprint
- University of Queensland, School of Engineering, 1968
- Url
- https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:e5202aa
- Abstract
Economic exploitation of such a widely distributed resource as solar energy is an exciting challenge to man's ingenuity; no prospect is more intriguing than solar air conditioning. Techniques of air conditioning are discussed sufficiently to define the compatibility with solar conversion methods and to enable calculation of the performance of solar air conditioning cooling cycles. From the various possibilities, absorption refrigerators operated by flat-plate solar collectors are chosen for detailed investigation. After a discussion of the prospects of the system in Australia and a consideration of the environmental conditions, the system is scrutinized with particular emphasis on the refrigerator and the enclosure. Lithium bromide-water refrigerators are shown to have desirable characteristics which can be matched to the solar energy source. Preliminary results of experiments on a residence, air conditioned by a makeshift solar absorption device, are given. The performance is sufficiently encouraging to warrant further work with equipment specifically designed for the application. An economic evaluation of the system reaches the conclusion that, if air conditioning can be justified for residences, solar power will be the cheapest power source for most of tropical Australia.