Solar Energy, Vol.59, No.1, 67-73, 1997
Solar process heat generation using an ETC collector field with external parabolic circle concentrator (PCC) to operate an adsorption refrigeration system
The design and construction of a collector system for process heat generation up to 150 degrees C is described. The thermal energy is used to operate an ammonia/carbon ice maker generating block-ice for the fishing industry in developing countries. Various analytical and experimental investigations have shown that with operational temperatures beyond 100 degrees C concentrators like CPCs (Winston, 1974; Winston and Hinterberger, 1975; Rabl 1976; Winston and Welford, 1978) or similar ones improve substantially the efficiencies of evacuated tubular collectors (ETC). We developed and investigated a shape consisting of segments of parabolas and circles, respectively, because of the far easier manufacturing (Schreitmuller et al., 1991; Niemann, 1992; Niemann and Schreitmuller, 1993). The envisaged collector field consists of evacuated tubular collectors with external parabolic circle concentrators (PCC). The non-tracking PCC-collector with a concentration ratio of 5 is mounted in an east-west direction. The ammonia carbon adsorption ice maker was developed by the University of Warwick, Department of Engineering, Coventry, U.K. (Critoph and Gong, 1992). This unit is a rapid cycling refrigerator, producing 500 kg ice per day, in which two complete adsorption systems operate out of phase. This means one is heated whilst the other is cooled, resulting in a semi-continuous refrigeration process.