TRNSYS Simulation of a Solar Cooling System for the Hot Climate of Pakistan

Abstract

Cooling is a basic need for buildings in hot and sunny climates. In most countries the major source of cooling is electrical power<br/>based. During summer in hot climates there is an increase in electricity consumption due to cooling load. Pakistan is facing an<br/>electricity shortage crisis, which becomes worse in summer due to the high demand for cooling. The annual average insolation<br/>for Pakistan is 5-6 kWh/m2/day, reaching 6-8 kWh/m2/day in summer with sunshine of 10-13 hours a day, which gives suitable<br/>conditions for solar powered cooling system operation. TRNSYS software provides the possibility to simulate a complete solar<br/>air conditioning system integrated with a building. In this study, TRNSYS is used to model an absorption chiller operated by hot<br/>water from an evacuated tube collector. It is found that, with a hot water storage tank, a collector area of 12 m2 is sufficient to<br/>maintain the temperature in a room in a typical house at or below 26°C during the cooling season.