Solar powered vapor absorption system using propane and alkylated benzene AB300 oil

This paper describes experimental work on a solar assisted vapour absorption air conditioning system using Propane (refrigerant) and Alkylated Benzene (AB300–refrigeration lubrication oil, absorbent). Preliminary experiments to assess the miscibility of propane in various lubricating oils namely Shell Clavus oils 32 and 64 and Alkylated Benzene oils AB150 and AB300 indicated that Propane is most miscible in Alkylated Benzene AB300. The vapour absorption system is a single stage absorption consisting of evaporator, absorber, generator and condenser. The system is equipped with heat pipes installed between the absorber and the pre-generator to recover the heat of absorption. The heat applied to the generator replicated the solar thermal energy based on the climatic conditions of Jamaica using flat plate collectors commonly used in Jamaica. Experiments at various evaporator, absorber and generator temperatures showed that the coefficient of performance of the system increases with increasing the generator temperature and with decreasing the absorber temperatures. The solar fraction for the flat plate collectors to produce the generator temperature needed to drive the absorption system is up to 50%.