Lu Aye & Guan, B 2008 'TRNSYS simulation model of a solar cooling system in Melbourne', International HVAC Energy Efficiency Best Practice Conference, Lu Aye (ed) 17 - 19 September 2008, Melbourne.

Abstract

This report aims to investigate the solar energy contribution of a solar cooling system for a commercial building in Melbourne. The Law Building (12 levels with total floor area 24 000 m2) at the University of Melbourne was the sample commercial building. A TRNSYS computer simulation model for the solar absorption cooling system with gas back up was developed. The developed TRNSYS model was used to simulate the performance of the system. The simulated solar fraction of the system was found to be about 40%, if 50% of the roof area is used for installing evacuated-tube collector arrays. The relationship between solar fraction and collector area was also reported. Simulation results show that the solar absorption cooling system is technically feasible for at least shaving the peak cooling loads of commercial buildings in Melbourne.

Keywords: Solar cooling; TRNSYS; commercial buildings.