Volume 25: Accelerated Energy Innovations and Emerging Technologies

District Cooling Systemwith Solar based Vapor Absorption Chiller: A Techno-economic Case Study Preyashkumar Patel, Rushil Patel, Kavish Shah, Sunil R Kale, Paragi Shah

Abstract

A solar-based vapour absorption machine (VAM) chiller-based district cooling system (DCS) has been designed and its financials have been worked out in the context of a high-rise 80 apartment tower. Comparisons have been made with a vapour compression refrigeration (VCR) based DCS, and with the existing system of 3 unitary split air conditioning units per apartment. The solar VAM DCS carbon footprint is 75% and 78 % smaller than VCR DCS and unitary system. While the capital cost is 58 % larger than VCR DCS, the operating costs are 63 % lower. The VAM-based DCS, though practically complex, has the potential for substantial carbon savings which is needed to slow down carbon emissions.

Keywords District cooling system, Vapor absorption machine, solar collector, Cooling demand, Carbon footprint