Numerical Simulation of the Performance of a Solar Assisted Vapour Compression Refrigeration System

Research has established that a considerable part of the electrical energy produced globally is been consumed by refrigerators and air-conditioning systems. In this area of cooling technology, research is therefore being geared towards energy reduction in the cooling devices. In addition to this approach, alternative sources of energy such as renewable energy, like solar is also being explored in this area of refrigeration and cooling technology. Studies have also been conducted generally both experimentally and numerically to simulate the performance of Vapor Compression Refrigeration System (VCRS) under different conditions. However, experimental study is often seems to be expensive and time consuming to carry out due the function of many variables. This study was therefore designed to numerically simulate the performance assessment of a solar assisted VCRS. A numerical model of a solar assisted vapour compression refrigeration system was developed using standard solar energy and thermodynamics relations of the major components of solar assisted refrigerating system such as solar power system, compressor, condenser, evaporator and an expansion valve to determine refrigeration effect, compressor work, and the Coefficient Of Performance (COP). Standard data of R134a refrigerant was utilized in the modelling. The model was then simulated on MATLAB source code with a CoolProp installed packages via python under two different simulation cases. In the first case, the evaporating temperature was varied for all while the condensing temperature was kept constant and a reversed condition was investigated in the second case.The results showed that both the refrigerating effect and the COP of the system increase as the evaporating temperature increased while the compressor work and the panel area decreased. Further, the refrigerating effect and the COP of the system were decreased as the condensing temperature was increased while the compressor work and the panel area remained constant. The coefficient of performance at evaporating temperature of -17.2 shows 2.91 giving a deviation of -5.37% from the literature.The viability of a solar assisted vapour compression refrigeration system was established. The vapour compression refrigeration system compressor powered with solar energy will perform well when the solar panel (PV) area is large.