DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF A SOLAR ADSORPTION REFRIGERATOR UNDER HAZY CONDITION

Abstract

Preservation of foods, drinks, fruits, fish, and perishables using cleaner form of energy at low
financial cost has necessitated the adoption of solar powered refrigeration system most
especially in locations with known viable solar resources. A 0.36m 2 solar-powered adsorption
refrigeration system utilizing an activated carbon/methanol pair was developed, tested, and
evaluated under a cloudy sky condition of harmattan haze of Bauchi weather condition in
January. A single 4mm plane glass forms the collector employing the location latitude as the
inclination angle. Copper tubes arranged in parallel and connected to two headers are
embedded underneath the absorber and, then coated with black paint. Collector air tightness
is improved by the use of glazing rubber. Five liters of water in the cooling cabinet attained
13°C after 56 hours of experiment achieving a 41% temperature reduction and, 0.56 cooling
coefficient of performance. This work indicates the practicability of solar adsorption
refrigeration in the tropics amidst cloudy sky conditions. For improved performance under
unfavorable weather conditions, provision should be made for auxiliary heating. The
applications of this form of refrigeration will curb the use of conventional energy, minimize
grid dependence, reduce household recurrent bills, and ozone layer-depleting
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).