M. De Blas

Development and testing of a prototype of low-power water–ammonia absorption equipment for solar energy applications

This article outlines the development and testing of a prototype of a water–ammonia absorption system designed for solar-powered refrigeration in small rural operations. The objective is to design a 2 kW refrigeration equipment for isolated areas with a high level of solar radiation to meet refrigeration requirements. The equipment has been designed to operate with a concentrating solar power system to obtain the required temperatures. The heat exchangers, which act as condensers, as well as the absorber and evaporator, are all made of galvanized steel piping having fins. The design uses natural convection; the generator and energy-saving heat exchanger have a multi-tubular arrangement and a transfer tank is used in place of a pump for displacing the ammonia solution. All of the operations are manually controlled. Overall, the test results showed unsatisfactory operation of the equipment having low efficiency. Nevertheless, the proposed objectives have been met and it is evident that with several important modifications the equipment will operate satisfactorily. In conclusion, based on the development phase, it is apparent that future prototypes must be more compact and more efficient.

Effects of the model selected for the power curve on the site effectiveness and the capacity factor of a pitch regulated wind turbine

The present work is based on the fact that site effectiveness is a relevant value when analysing the suitability of a location for constant-speed wind turbines. An analytical expression is developed to calculate the said effectiveness by means of a potential adjustment model to the ascending segment of the power curve in pitch regulated wind turbines. Upon analysis of the results obtained for maximum effectiveness in a given location, using both the potential model and the quadratic model applied in earlier studies, no significant differences were observed in wind conditions of interest for wind energy applications. Notwithstanding, when the cut-in wind speed was compared, corresponding to the maximum effectiveness values at the same location according to the two models indicated, noticeable differences were observed. It can therefore be deduced that, when selecting this design parameter, a careful study should be made in order to determine which model best fits the power curve of the wind turbine under analysis for a specific location.