ISSN 3141-6632
Amidst climate change and escalating energy demand, thermal comfort in buildings has become a critical concern, particularly in high-temperature regions. The reliance on conventional air conditioners, which are energy-intensive, exacerbates greenhouse gas emissions and electricity consumption. Solar Absorption Refrigeration (SAR) systems emerge as a promising alternative, harnessing solar energy to provide cooling in an environmentally friendly and cost-effective manner. This study focuses on enhancing thermal comfort in buildings through the integration of SAR, aiming to reduce dependence on conventional energy sources and optimize the thermal performance of buildings in humid tropical zones. The specific case of Ebolowa city is examined, with a focus on a test room in the Higher Institute of Agriculture, Forestry, Water and Environment (ISABEE) building. The research seeks to improve thermal comfort by implementing a SAR system in the ISABEE conference room, where a thermal load of 30.32 kW was determined. This assessment led to the design of a SAR system with a capacity of 43.31 kW and a generator pump power of 0.87 kW. The Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller integrated into the system significantly improved its response time, reducing it from 400 s prior to optimization to 59 s thereafter, thereby ensuring stable thermal comfort despite external temperature variations. A comparison with conventional air-conditioning systems demonstrates that solar refrigeration offers superior long-term cost-effectiveness owing to the substantial energy savings achieved in both residential and commercial applications.
Keywords: Thermal comfort; humid tropical climate; PID control; exergetic efficiency; SAR; building cooling.