Demonstration of a Solar Thermal Combined Heating, Cooling and Hot Water System Utilizing an Adsorption Chiller for DoD Installations
EW-200928
Objective
Current technologies used to provide comfort and domestic hot water heating and comfort cooling for buildings at Department of Defense (DoD) sites represent a substantial portion of the energy consumption on base. With increasing energy costs, the economic and security impacts of heating and cooling loads represent an increasingly important consideration when planning for retrofits and future installations. The objective of this project is to demonstrate the technical and economic efficacy of a solar-thermal heating and cooling system using an adsorption chiller applied at a DoD installation in the southeastern United States. The installed package will provide up to 60 tons refrigeration (RT) cooling plus domestic hot water at the selected host site.
Technology Description
Solar energy will be collected using an array of approximately 220 glazed flat-panel solar panels, each with a surface area of about 30 square feet. The resulting hot water at 194ºF will be used to drive an adsorption chiller to provide up to 60 RT of comfort cooling to the host facility. Solar-heated water will be stored as part of the system. Energy not required for cooling will be used to heat domestic hot water for washing or other purposes depending on the site requirements. This increases year-round energy savings. The adsorption chiller uses water as the cooling media. The water is cyclically adsorbed and desorbed from a silica gel desiccant. The expected life of the desiccant is approximately 30 years. Neither the desiccant nor the coolant presents an environmental threat.
Benefits
The solar-thermal heating and cooling system to be demonstrated significantly reduces energy consumption, as well as exposure to energy price volatility. Further, electricity- and boiler-associated emissions of criteria pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions are proportionally reduced. Life-cycle environmental impacts of cooling equipment also are reduced by use of water as a refrigerant. Reduction of dependence on petroleum-based fuels provides enhanced security. Reduction of electrical loads for cooling reduces requirements for emergency power capacity. In cases where the displaced technology is absorption chilling, reliability may be increased and maintenance costs reduced. (Anticipated Project Completion - 2012)
Points of Contact
Principal Investigator
Mr. Tim Hansen
Southern Research Institute
Phone: 919-282-1052
Fax: 919-282-1060
Document Types
- Fact Sheet - Brief project summary with links to related documents and points of contact.
- Final Report - Comprehensive report for every completed SERDP and ESTCP project that contains all technical results.
- Cost & Performance Report - Overview of ESTCP demonstration activities, results, and conclusions, standardized to facilitate implementation decisions.
- Technical Report - Additional interim reports, laboratory reports, demonstration reports, and technology survey reports.
- Guidance - Instructional information on technical topics such as protocols and user’s guides.
- Workshop Report - Summary of workshop discussion and findings.
- Multimedia - On demand videos, animations, and webcasts highlighting featured initiatives or technologies.
- Model/Software - Computer programs and applications available for download.
- Database - Digitally organized collection of data available to search and access.