Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes, 4th Edition

Chapter 21

Design of Active Systems by Utilizability Methods

In Chapter 20 the method was presented as a design tool for solar systems that deliver energy to a load at minimum temperatures near . There are, however, many applications that use energy at temperatures higher or lower than . A warehouse heating system may be required to keep the building above freezing so that all energy delivered above 0°C is useful. A solar-operated absorption cycle air conditioning system may be able to use all energy above . Industrial process heat temperature requirements can be at almost any level. This chapter describes design methods for active systems for which the method does not apply.

The design of active solar systems can be done with detailed computer simulations, as noted in Chapter 19. The expense of simulations can be significant, but the procedure should be considered in the final analysis for all large systems. Preliminary designs and designs for small systems require inexpensive methods ...