Mechanical compressor-driven thermochemical storage for cooling applications in tropical insular regions. Concept and efficiency analysis

Franco Ferrucci, Driss Stitou, Pascal Ortega and Franck Lucas

Applied Energy, 2018, vol. 219, issue C, 240-255

Abstract: The energy situation in tropical insular regions, as is found in French Polynesia, presents a number of challenges, including heavy dependence on imported fuel, high transport costs from the mainland and weak electricity grids. By contrast, these regions possess a variety of renewable energy resources, which are favorable for the exploitation of smart micro grids and energy storage technologies. With regards to electrical energy demand, the high temperatures commonly seen in these regions throughout the entire year implies that a large proportion of electricity consumption (∼40%) is used for space cooling, even during evening hours. Framed within this context, this paper presents an air conditioning system driven by photovoltaic electricity that combines a mechanical vapor refrigeration system and a thermochemical storage unit. Thermochemical processes enable the storage of energy in the form of chemical potential with virtually no losses, which can be used to produce cold during the evening hours without running a compressor. These processes are implemented using thermochemical reactors, in which a reversible chemical reaction between a solid compound and a gas takes place. The solid/gas pair used in this study is barium chloride salt (BaCl2) reacting with ammonia (NH3), which is also the coolant fluid in the refrigeration circuit.

Keywords: Solar cooling; Solid/gas sorption; Thermochemical; Chemical adsorption; Tropical and insular regions; Microgrid (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.03.049

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