Technical Assessment of Solar Assisted Refrigeration System Using Parabolic Trough Collectors in a Mexican Pharmaceutical Facility References

Ingeniería en Sistemas Energéticos Sustentables, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México Eduardo González-Mora, Ma. Dolores Durán García [email protected] Technical Assessment of Solar Assisted Refrigeration System Using Parabolic Trough Collectors in a Mexican Pharmaceutical Facility References Introduction 1 Conclusions 4 Industrial refrigeration uses ~17% of global electricity, critical for pharmaceuticals. In México, LPG-powered absorption chillers dominate but bring high costs and emissions. PTC fields can supply the required heat, while TES stabilizes operation under variable solar input. Research on solar-assisted cooling in México is scarce, and limited rooftop space demands efficient layouts. Integrating PTC + TES into absorption systems can reduce fuel use, cut emissions, and improve reliability. A two-stage ammonia–water chiller (118.2 kW at −10 °C) is coupled to a PTC field (Therminol VP1). Two setups are analyzed: without TES and with TES (2.5 h). A thermohydraulic model with energy and exergy balances estimates field/TES size, efficiencies, LPG savings, and CO₂ reduction for designday and annual operation. • Assess performance of PTC-assisted absorption cooling. • Compare with/without TES (design day & annual). • Quantify energy, exergy, LPG savings, and emissions. • Test feasibility under rooftop space limits. Materials and methods 2 Results 3 TES boosted the solar fraction from 40.7% to 61.0%, cutting LPG use by 34% while ensuring reliable cooling. • Peak: TES achieved >118% solar fraction, with surplus heat. • Annual: 37167 kg LPG (TES) vs. 56525 kg (no TES). • Impact: TES cut CO₂ emissions by ~87% vs. ~70% without TES. • Both systems significantly reduce LPG use and emissions vs. LPG-only operation. • TES increases annual solar utilization (+20.3 pp) and improves reliability in low irradiance. • Efficiencies remain similar, but TES enhances resilience with minor exergy penalties. • Rooftop PTC deployment is feasible for industrial cooling, offering a replicable path to decarbonization. Thermal storage elevates solar cooling from a fuel saver to a reliable, year-round clean energy solution. [1] Esfanjani, P., Jahangiri, S., Heidarian, A., Valipour, M.S., Rashidi, S., 2022. A review on Thermal storage elevates solar cooling from a fuel saver to a reliable, year-round clean energy solution.Thermal storage elevates solar cooling from a fuel saver to a reliable, yearround clean energy solution.solar-powered cooling systems coupled with parabolic dish collector and linear Fresnel reflector. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. [2] Karellas, S., Roumpedakis, T.C., Tzouganatos, N., Braimakis, K., 2018. Solar cooling technologies, 1st ed. CRC Press. [3] González-Mora, E., Durán-García, M.D., 2024. Alternative Approach for ThermoHydraulic Modeling of Direct Steam Generation in Parabolic Trough Solar Collectors. J Therm Sci Eng Appl. Fig. 1. Schematic diagram of the installation. Fig. 2. Solar field with TES. Fig. 3. Solar field without TES. Fig. 5. Annual performance.Fig. 4. Efficiency. 0 200 400 600 800 1000 0 4 8 12 16 20 24 21-03 21-06 21-09 21-12 Design Solar field thermal power, Q . SF (kW) Time, hs(hours) 0 200 400 600 800 1000 0 4 8 12 16 20 24 21-03 21-06 21-09 21-12 Design Solar field thermal power, Q . SF (kW) Time, hs(hours) 0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35 0.4 0 4 8 12 16 20 24 I,03-21 II,03-21 I,06-21 II,06-21 I,09-21 II,09-21 I,12-21 II,12-21 Efficiency, Time, hs(hours) 0 200 400 600 800 1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 TES no TES Design Solar field thermal power, Q . SF (kW) Time, hs(hours)