Mexico.
The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the Tecnológico Nacional de México (TecNM), through the Technological Institute of Culiacán (ITC), created a solar air conditioning system.
The solar air conditioning system installed at the ITC is a prototype developed at the Institute of Renewable Energies of the UNAM, unique in Mexico using 100% national technology, which consists of a field of solar collectors that supply thermal energy to an absorption machine responsible for producing the cold, which operates with the ammonia/lithium nitrate mixture and has an approximate capacity of two tons of refrigeration, which can be scalable to higher capacities.
For the evaluation of the equipment, various variables are automatically recorded, such as temperatures, pressures and flows, among other parameters. Unlike a conventional solar air conditioning system that uses electrical energy, the energy used in the prototype developed is mainly thermal, which can come from solar collectors, as is the case, or from some other heating source such as industrial waste heat.
The benefit that in the future can bring the massive use of these systems is not only the reduction of electricity consumption which would benefit the economy of families by reducing electricity billing, but also, the reduction of emission of pollutants into the atmosphere that generate the greenhouse effect and global warming.
Due to the innovation in the design of both the solar collectors and the absorption machine, the patent of the same was requested before the Mexican Institute of Intellectual Property, and can be produced commercially, so that the benefit reaches homes.
One of the academic benefits of this project is that the students of the Tecnológico de Culiacán can carry out internships and help improve this technology.
Data Source Provider: Instituto Tecnológico de Culiacán
