Abstract

MALDONADO, Diana et al. Exergy analysis of a solar heating and cooling system that uses phase change materials. PCMSOL Project. RevActaNova. [online]. 2019, vol.9, n.3, pp.299-328. ISSN 1683-0789.

The present work is based on the application of an exergy analysis to the solar-assisted heating and cooling system (specifically in cooling mode) currentiy installed at the CIESOL Solar Energy Research Center of the Armeria University (Spain); in order to determine a more efficient system and to evaluate the effect of the phase change materials (PCMs) introduction into the heating and cooling systems. The analysis shows that the current solar system achieves an overall maximum exergy efficiency of 6.6%. In addition, the introduction of the PCMs manages to increase the thermal storage capacities of the system, however, it causes a slight decrease in the global exergy efficiency to 6.5%. The results also show that, unlike what an energy analysis reflects, the components that generate the greatest irreversibilities are the solar collectors, with almost 90% of the total exergy losses. Consequently, a proposal was made to reduce the irreversibilities generated by the solar thermal components of the system, incorporating the use of photovoltaic panels instead of solar collectors, this improves the overall exergy efficiency.

Keywords : Heating and cooling system; solar energy; exergy analysis; irreversibilities; thermal storage; phase change materials.

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