A Cascade Proportional Integral Derivative Control for a Plate-Heat-Exchanger-Based Solar Absorption Cooling System

• Published in: Energies (Basel) Vol. 14; no. 13; p. 4058
• Main Authors: Garcíadealva, Yeudiel, Best, Roberto, Gómez, Víctor Hugo, Vargas, Alejandro, Rivera, Wilfrido, Jiménez-García, José Camilo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.07.2021
• Subjects: Absorption; Absorption cooling; Air conditioning; Alternative energy sources; Ammonia; ammonia–water; automatic control; Control algorithms; Control systems; Cooling; Cooling systems; dynamic model HVACs; Dynamic stability; Efficiency; Electricity; Evaporative cooling; Evaporators; Flow stability; Heat exchangers; Mass flow; Plate heat exchangers; Refrigeration; Simulation; Solar collectors; Temperature control; Time response
• ISSN: 1996-1073; 1996-1073
• DOI: 10.3390/en14134058

Automatic proportional integral derivative control techniques are applied in a single-stage solar absorption cooling system, showing 3.8 kW (~1 ton) cooling capacity, with a coefficient of performance of 0.6 and −4.1 °C evaporator cooling temperature. It is built with plate heat exchangers as main components, using ammonia–water as the working mixture fluid and solar collectors as the main source of hot water. Control tuning was verified with a dynamical simulation model for a solution regarding mass flow stability and temperature control in the solar absorption cooling system. The controller improved steady thermodynamic state and time response. According to experimental cooling temperatures, the system could work in ranges of refrigeration or air-conditioning end-uses, whose operation makes this control technique an attractive option to be implemented in the solar absorption cooling system.