A/C powered by the sun?

[sensor]

Hi, soon I will move to Arizona and thinkering of building an A/C system for the whole house powered by the sun. Before the age of compressor refrigeration there were small fridges run with ammonia, without any moving parts. Even today, some camping coolers use this technology. Only a heat source is needed to evaporize the ammonia into gas state. The rest is done conventionally. What do the experts among you guys think about this idea. Could it be done? Thanks. Sensor

[New Directions In Building Ser]

Sure it could - but lets look at the physics. You need to provide sufficient A/C to overcome the SOLAR load infiltration as well as the heat load generated by all the other items within the building envelope and your going to do this using the absorbtion system totally reliant on thermal dynamics for fluid movement. First you need to focus the heat from the sun and deliver that heat to the boiler at sufficient and continuous temperature to provide sustained boiling of the ammonia and you will also need to ensure that the ambient air temperature is low enough and capacity of the condenser large enough to provide the heat rejection capability. Next - how are you going to distribute the cooled air? If fans (with or without ducts) are used, this can account for up around 40% of the energy consumed by conventional systems - woops sorry but you don't want any moving parts so that's out. The alternative is a chilled ceiling where you sit under the evaporator as it drops cool air on you. By now you've spent well in excess of the capital cost and the energy consumption costs of conventional A/C for the next 15-years and you've still got something that won't cool at night. Also with the chilled ceiling you'll need a rather expensive support structure and if the humidity ever does go up (I know Arizona's dry - but it does rain sometimes), the ceiling will make rain inside when it hits dewpoint.

"sensor" wrote in message news: [e-mail]...

[Moe Jones]

I found this part of this file on the web from the state of California. This may answer your question.

Air conditioning powered by solar energy has great potential, in part because high demand for cooling usually coincides with plentiful sunlight. The intensity of solar energy on the roof of a typical single-story building in California is roughly ten times the cooling requirement for the same building. Solar air conditioning at an economically competitive level could reduce electricity costs for residential and small commercial customers. This would cut the growth of peak electric demand and ease the increasing pressures on generating capacity, transmission, and distribution. Currently available technologies are neither practical nor cost-effective.

Now when comes to ammonia you better be careful. When there is a ammonia leak the ammonia goes directly to your lungs. I can remember 20 years plus when I would addend a RSES meeting and hear the older refrigerant technicians trying to breath because for years they worked with ammonia. That alone kept me from working with it.

[Mark Rand]

And, possibly most usefull:-

Mark Rand RTFM

[ccon67]

[sensor]

Indeed, the link below is most interesting. Thank you

[sensor]

[Noon-Air]

Stationary pipes filled with ammonia don't bother me..... what *DOES* bother me is the stuff that goes around the country in trucks and rail cars. Think about a rail car full of anhydrous ammonia that derails and releases its load in the middle of town. Whats really scary are the trucks that are placarded "1993"...... "Flammable or Combustable Liquid NOS". It could be

*ANYTHING* that burns... rocket fuel, booze, perfume, fuel, oil, lighter fluid, benzene, solvents, etc...... Now think about some of the idiots on the road that don't think twice about cutting off a semi in heavy traffic..... Be afraid. Be very afraid.