eversvd,+1 (25)

Research has established that a considerable part of the electrical energy produced globally has been consumed by refrigerators and air-conditioning systems. In this area of cooling technology, research is therefore being geared towards energy reduction in the cooling devices. In addition to this approach, alternative sources of energy such as renewable energy, like solar is also being explored in this area of refrigeration and cooling technology. This study was designed to numerically simulate the performance assessment of a solar assisted vapour compression refrigeration system (VCRS). A numerical model of VCRS was developed using standard solar energy and thermodynamics relations of the major components including compressor, condenser, evaporator, and expansion valve. The model was simulated on MATLAB with CoolProp packages under two different simulation cases. Results demonstrated that both the refrigerant effect and the coefficient of performance (COP) increase with the rise in evaporating temperature while compressor work and panel area decrease. Conversely, increasing condensing temperature decreases refrigerant effect and COP while compressor work remains constant. The coefficient of performance at an evaporating temperature of -17.2 showed 2.91, deviating -5.37% from literature. The study established the viability of solar assisted VCRS.