Solar Energy 77 (2004) 57–66

www.elsevier.com/locate/solener

Revisiting solar-powered ejector air conditioner––the

greener the better
a,* b
A. Arbel , M. Sokolov
a
Department of Central Agriculture and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Agricultural Engineering,
The Volcani Center, Bet-Dagan 50250, Israel
b
Department of Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer, Faculty of Engineering, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv 69978, Israel
Received 24 October 2002; received in revised form 8 March 2004; accepted 18 March 2004
Available online 9 April 2004

Communicated by: Associate Editor Byard Wood

Abstract
Pervious work on solar-powered ejector air-conditioning system is updated for refrigerant R-142b to replace R-114
as the working fluid. Such update offers viable alternative to the system, which previously used the now banned R-114.
Cycles with and without compression enhancements are analyzed to produce variety of systems to suit variety of local
considerations. The result of the analysis and simulation introduces not only an environmentally compatible but also a
more efficient system.
Ó 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Building heating and cooling; Design method; Systems; Heat pump system

1. Introduction Three major developments have since occurred:

The solar-powered ejector air-conditioning system
(SPEACS) was introduced in 1993 (Sokolov and
Hershgal, 1993) as a way to harness solar renewable
energy to provide air-conditioning. It was demonstrated
that for moderate climates, such system could provide
heating (in winter) cooling (at summer) and hot water––
at reasonable cost. It was also shown that a compres-
sion-enhanced system appreciably improves the perfor-
mance and well as the cost effectiveness of such system.
However the results reported in this publication
(Sokolov and Hershgal, 1993) were based on the ther-
modynamic properties of refrigerant R-114. Being non-
toxic, inexpensive and widely used, it was considered, at
that time, as the most suitable working fluid for ejector
driven refrigeration cycle.
*
Corresponding author. Tel.: +972-3-9683677; fax: +972-3-
96404704.
E-mail address: arbel@agri.gov.il (A. Arbel).
0038-092X/$ - see front matter Ó 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.solener.2004.03.009
A. Among the CFC’s, R-114 was recognized as environ-
mentally most harmful. R-114 has proven to deplete
the ozone layer when released to the atmosphere. As
a result its production and use has been banned alto-
gether.
B. The harm cause by greenhouse gases have been rec-
ognized and documented and a global effort is now
on the way to minimize emission and use clean en-
ergy.
C. The ejector refrigeration cycle is gaining more and
more interest. For example the European Commis-
sion is now supporting TRI-GEN EGD (Project #
NNE5-2001-00538) which is a project designed to de-
velop a novel tri-generation system, for supplying
heating, cooling and electricity to buildings. The pro-
posed system is based on the combination of an elec-
tro-gas-dynamic (EGD) converter and an ejector
refrigeration cycle. Solar energy, waste heat or hy-
brid sources (e.g., solar/gas) may be used to drive
the system.
58 A. Arbel, M. Sokolov / Solar Energy 77 (2004) 57–66
Nomenclature
Ac collectors area, m2
B collector coefficient, °C
1
COP coefficient of performance
Cp specific heat, J/kg °C
FR collector heat removal factor
GT irradiance on the collectors tilted surface,
W/m2
m mass flow rate, kg/s
Q heat flow rate, W
P pressure, kPa
T temperature, °C
UL collector overall loss coefficient, W/m2 °C
W mechanical or electrical power, W
g efficiency
(sa) transmittance absorptance product
x mass flow rate (secondary to primary) ratio
for the ejector
These three developments have led the authors to
take a new look at the 1993 work only this time by using
R-142b as the working fluid. The ozone depletion po-
tential (ODP) of R-142b refrigerant is very low and its
use was authorized in Copenhagen until 2030.
The results of such update, presented below, indicate
that a SPEACS with R-142b is more efficient than the
one operating with R-114. Thus the paper not only of-
fers a ‘‘greener’’ system but also a better one.
The authors believe that the proposed system is well
posed to offer a good answer to the increased demand
for air-conditioning in moderate climates such as
northern Europe or America while reducing the release
of greenhouse gases.
For obvious reasons the introduction part of this
work will not include the review, which is found in So-
kolov and Hershgal (1993).
However in order to make this paper self-contained it
was necessary to duplicate some relevant part of Soko-
lov and Hershgal (1993) so the reader does not have to
switch back and forth between this manuscript and
Sokolov and Hershgal (1993).
The numerical code used in the present simulation is
finer and more accurate than the one used in Sokolov
and Hershgal (1993). Thus comparison between per-
formances of R-142b and R-114 is based on the current
more precise numerical simulations.
2. Solar-powered compression-enhanced ejector refriger-
ation cycle
The solar-powered compression-enhanced ejector
system is shown in Fig. 1a and its corresponding ther-
Subscripts
a ambient
bst booster
c condenser or collector
e evaporator
ejc ejector
g generator
i inlet
mec mechanical
o outlet
pmp pump
s system or intercooler
st stagnation
thr thermal
u useful
modynamic states in Fig. 1b. Many configurations of
thermodynamic cycles are possible for the single-refrig-
erant compression-enhanced ejector refrigeration sys-
tem. However, throughout this work a single
configuration will be discussed. This configuration has
been experimentally proven to be simple, easy to con-
struct, maintain and control, and is identical to the one
discussed in Sokolov and Hershgal (1993).
Heat, carried by a heat transport fluid from the solar
collector heat source, enters the vapor generator at point
(11) (numerals in brackets refer to points indicated on
Fig. 1) with a temperature To . For heat exchange purpose
To > Tg . Heat exchanged with the refrigerant in the
generator causes the heat carrier to leave the generator at
(12) with a lower temperature Ti and return to the col-
lector inlet to be reheated by solar energy. High-pressure
refrigerant vapors leaving the generator at (2) are carried
to the nozzle inlet of the ejector (4). After entraining the
stream from the intercooler at (3), the mixed stream is
discharged at (4) into the condenser. Condensed refrig-
erant leaving the condenser at (6) is divided into two
parts. One part is pressurized in the pump before entering
the generator at (1), the other part of refrigerant leaving
the condenser enters the intercooler at (5) after a tem-
perature reduction in the expansion valve 1. This com-
pletes the ejector sub-cycle. Liquid refrigerant leaving the
intercooler at (10) expands in the expansion valve 2 be-
fore entering the evaporator at (7). Refrigerant vapors
produced by heat absorption in the evaporator, leave the
evaporator at (8) where the suction to the booster is
placed. Pressurized vapors then enter the intercooler at
(9) where they are phase-separated. Vapors become sec-
ondary flow to the ejector sub-cycle, while the liquid is
recirculated in the booster sub-cycle.
 A. Arbel, M. Sokolov / Solar Energy 77 (2004) 57–66 59

EJECTOR COMPRESSION
SUB-CYCLE SUB-CYCLE

BOOSTER
EJECTOR
Qu, mc , To
(2) (4) (3) (9) (8)
Qc
(11)
GT
INTERCOOLER EVAPORATOR
Qg Tg, P g
CONDENSER
GENERATOR Te, P e Qe
SOLAR Tc, P c Ts, P s
COLLECTOR (12) (1)
(5) (6) (10) (7)

PUMP
Ti

CIRCULATION EXPANTION EXPANTION

PUMP VALVE 1 VALVE 2
(a)

(1) GENERATOR
pg (2)

PUMP
CONDENSER
pc (5)
(4)
EJECTOR
INTERCOOLER (3)
ps (10) (9)
(6)
BOOSTER
EVAPORATOR
pe (8)
(7)
h
(b)

Fig. 1. (a) Block diagram of the solar-powered ejector refrigeration system; (b) pressure-enthalpy diagram of the ejector refrigeration
cycle.

The system consists of a conventional compres-
sion and ejector sub-cycles with an intercooler as an
interface between them. The intercooler is a heat
and mass exchanger through which the two sub-cycles
interact. The compression booster operates in a con-
ventional compression refrigeration sub-cycle between
the evaporator and the intercooler. The same inter-
cooler substitutes for the evaporator in the ejector sub-
cycle. Heat absorbed in the evaporator is boosted up
to the intercooler pressure and temperature by the
compression cycle. The now elevated suction pres-
sure from the intercooler to the ejector results in a
higher mass flow rate with which the ejector operates.
The ejector sub-cycle further raises the heat from
the evaporator to the condenser’s pressure and temper-
ature.
There are several assumptions that can be made
regarding the four thermodynamic states of the char-
acteristic points of the compression-enhanced refrig-
eration system (numbers in parenthesis refer to
corresponding point in Fig. 1a and b).
1. Discharged liquid from the condenser (5) and from
the intercooler (10) to the expansion valves is satu-
rated at the corresponding pressure.
2. Discharged vapors from the intercooler to the sec-
ondary of the ejector (3) and from the generator (2)
and the exit from the evaporator (8) are saturated
at the corresponding pressure.
3. Pressure losses due to flow friction are negligible.
Pressure variations occur only through the ejector,
expansion valves, pump and the booster.
60 A. Arbel, M. Sokolov / Solar Energy 77 (2004) 57–66
With these assumptions, the four characteristic
pressures Pg , Pc , Ps and Pe and their corresponding sat-
uration temperatures define all the thermodynamic
states within the refrigeration system, which interacts
with the environment outside of the system. The as-
sumed vapor quality at these states complies with the
thermodynamic conditions specified for the best possible
thermal efficiency of the system.
The ejector performance depends highly on the
secondary flow pressure Ps , in such a way that if all
other cycle parameters remain unchanged, an increase
in secondary stream pressure Ps will cause an increase
of either discharged pressure Pc or the secondary to
primary mass flow ratio x. An increase in Ps may be
achieved by boosting it with a mechanical compressor.
It was already shown in Sokolov and Hershgal (1993)
that such a boost may triple the resulting thermal
coefficient of performance of the system while still
maintaining the mechanical coefficient of performance
of the order of 10. In addition to the pump in the
ejector cycle, the compression-enhanced version intro-
duces the booster as an additional mechanical energy
consumer.
Similarly to the system described in Sokolov and
Hershgal (1993), a set of collectors, supply the heat
source for the generator for the solar-powered com-
pression-enhanced ejector refrigeration system. The
only exception to Sokolov and Hershgal (1993) be that
R-142b replaces R-114 as the working fluid.
3. Refrigerant of the compression-enhanced ejector cycle
The compression enhanced ejector system is most
likely to be driven by low-grade (temperature) inexpen-
sive heat. As indicated above, the results reported by
Sokolov and Hershgal (1993) were based on the ther-
modynamic properties of refrigerant R-114. This
refrigerant being non-toxic, inexpensive and widely
used, it was considered at that time as the most suitable
working fluid for ejector driven refrigeration cycle.
Similar to R-114, R-142b maintains the pressures
within the system at reasonably low level, is non-toxic
and is also chemically non-aggressive. The specific vol-
ume of R-142b is about twice that of R-12, which may
require some over sizing of various system components.
R-142b is available at a price comparable to other
commonly used refrigerants and when operating with
evaporator temperatures above )9.6 °C (typical of air-
conditioning) the pressure within the system is always
greater than atmospheric. R-142b is slightly flammable
(at concentration of between 9% and 14.8% of vapor to
air), which required being included in the regulations for
the transport of flammable gas.
For R-142b the slope of the vapor line in the P –h
diagram on which points (2), (3) and (8) are, is slightly
greater than the entropy slope. Thus, condensation,
which may occur during expansion through the ejector’s
nozzle, will disturb the flow field and damage the effi-
ciency of the expansion.
In addition to the unique specifications of the
refrigerant, the system includes intercooler, evaporator
and generator with the appropriate controls to ensure
proper thermodynamic condition at each corresponding
stage––details to be found in Sokolov and Hershgal
(1993).
Throughout this work overall (mechanical, isentropic
or a product of both when applicable) efficiencies of the
components in the reference system are assumed to be
0.7––a typical common value.
4. Performance of a solar-powered compression-enhanced
ejector refrigeration system
Two kinds of energies are required to power the
compression-enhanced ejector system, thermal solar
energy Qg and mechanical (electrical) energy Wmec to
power the pump and booster. Since these energies are
obtained from two unrelated sources and may therefore
carry different price tags, it is worth defining two dif-
ferent overall COP’s:
Qe Qe
COPthr ¼ ; COPmec ¼ ;
Qg Wmec
where
Wmec ¼ Wbst þ Wpmp  Wbst ; ð1Þ
since usually Wbst is much larger than Wpmp . This sepa-
ration enables a detailed account of the amounts and
types of energies required to drive a given system.
Within the compression-enhanced ejector system, the
operation of the ejector and the compression sub-cycles
are characterized by
Qs Qe
COPejc ¼ ; COPcmp ¼ ; ð2Þ
Qg Qs
where the function COPejc ðTs ; Tc ; Tg Þ is the coefficient of
performance of the conventional ejector cycle operating
between the saturation temperatures Ts , Tc and Tg . On
the other hand, the coefficient of performance of the
compression sub-cycle COPcmp is defined in an uncon-
ventional way. Conventionally COPcon;cmp of a com-
pression cycle is defined as
Qe
COPcon;cmp ¼ ; ð3Þ
Wbst
which is the ratio between the refrigeration load Qe to
the power input to the compressor Wbst . The definition
COPcmp here was necessary to provide interrelation
 A. Arbel, M. Sokolov / Solar Energy 77 (2004) 57–66 61

between the two sub-cycles via the heat exchanged in the Note that COPthr is the overall coefficient of perfor-
evaporator. Since, mance of the whole compression-enhanced ejector sys-
tem. It can therefore be written as
Qs ¼ Qe þ Wbst ð4Þ
Qe Qs Qe
it follows that COPcmp is always less then unity. Fur- COPthr ¼ ¼
Qg Qg Qs
thermore, through conservation of energy in Eq. (4),
there is a unique correspondence between these two ¼ COPejc ðTs ; Tc ; Tg ÞCOPcmp ðTe ; Ts Þ: ð10Þ
COP’s such that
Qe COPcmp
COPcon;cmp ¼ ¼ : ð5Þ
Wbst 1
COPcmp 5. System optimization

The main idea behind the compression enhancement The generator, in which solar heat is exchanged with
of the ejector system is that COPthr increases as COPmec the refrigerant of the compression-enhanced ejector
diminishes such that the penalty of a Wmec increase is system, is the point of interaction between the solar and
more than compensated by the reduction of Qg . For a refrigeration systems. The generator temperature Tg
given system in which Te , Tc and Tg are defined, COPejc determines both the solar collector operating tempera-
and COPcmp complement each other. High COPejc re- ture and the pressure Pg of the refrigerant vapors leaving
quires an elevated Ts such that Ts will be as close as the generator. High generator temperature has therefore
possible to Tc . Such elevation of Ts in turn requires low conflicting effects on the collector and the refrigeration
COPcmp . Since the system relies mainly on solar thermal cycle. High Tg leads to a high coefficient of performance
energy for its input power, it is appropriate to define the (COP) of the ejector system, but at the same time high Tg
overall system’s efficiency as (and therefore high collector temperature) decreases the
Qe Qg Qe
gs ¼ ¼ ¼ gc COPthr ; ð6Þ
GT Ac GT Ac Qg 150 100
Tc [oC] COPmec → ∞
where gc (the efficiency of the collector) is given by So- 30
130 80
kolov and Hershgal (1993) and Duffie and Beckman 40
(1980) as 50
110 60

ηs /B [oC]
Tg [oC]

gc ¼ BðTst
To Þ; ð7Þ
90 40
where
70 20
mc Cp FR ðsaÞ mc Cp FR UL
A¼ ; B¼ ;
mc Cp
FR UL Ac ðmc Cp
FR UL Ac ÞGT 50 0
100 120 140 160 180 200
Tst ¼ Ta þ A=B: ð8Þ (a) Tst [oC]

1.0 100
Tst and Ta are the collector’s stagnation and ambient Tc [oC] COPmec
temperatures, respectively. Note that Eq. (7) differs from 30
0.8 80
the conventional expression of a flat plate collector’s 40
efficiency as function of (Ti
Ta ). This is done in order 50
to eliminate the dependence on Ta in the parametric 0.6 60
ηc /B [oC]
COPthr

analysis to be followed. In the present form (Eq. (7)) the

efficiency varies linearly with the temperature difference 0.4 40
Tst
To . Thus, to specify a collector, Tst and the effi-
ciency at any To should be given. B can then be evaluated 0.2 20
from Eq. (7). Assuming ideal heat exchange in the gen-
erator for which To ¼ Tg ; Ti ¼ Tc , the overall system 0.0 0
efficiency is then given by 100 120 140 160 180 200
(b) Tst [oC]
Qe
gs ¼ ¼ gc COPthr Fig. 2. (a) Optimal overall efficiency and generator temperature
Ac GT
for COPmec ! 1; (b) optimal collector efficiency and refriger-
¼ BðTst
Tg ÞCOPthr ðTe ; Tc ; Tg ; Ts Þ: ð9Þ ation cycle COPthr for COPmec ! 1.
62 A. Arbel, M. Sokolov / Solar Energy 77 (2004) 57–66

efficiency of the collector. Thus the overall system’s
efficiency gs diminishes at both low and high Tg and
should therefore be optimized with respect to Tg . This
statement holds for both enhanced and unenhanced
(Sokolov and Hershgal, 1993) solar-powered ejector
system.
For a compression-enhanced system with given
external states Te , Tc and Tg , a given COPmec determines
both Ps and Ts which are the inlet conditions to the
ejector. Variations of COPmec , for such a system will
result in variation of the compression load of the ejector.
Low COPmec and, therefore, high Wbst will cause the
ejector to operate with a high mass ratio x to achieve the
discharge pressure Pc . The mass ratio x is defined as
the ratio between the secondary to primary mass flow
rate. For the configuration described in Fig. 1 this means
ms
x¼ : ð11Þ
mg
Therefore, the compression-enhanced ejector system
may be powered by an infinite number of combinations
of thermal and mechanical energies. The optimization of
such a system powered by solar energy must reckon with
the additional parameter COPcmp which results from
Wbst . Maximization of gs for a compression-enhanced
ejector system is therefore a much more complicated
task than the one for the conventional ejector system.
The function COPthr ðTe ; Tc ; Tg ; Ts Þ has an extra degree of
freedom than the function COPðTe ; Tc ; Tg Þ for a con-
ventional ejector system. Results of the numerical opti-
mization of gs must therefore be presented with COPmec
as a parameter.
6. Results and discussion
Figs. 2–6 exhibit the results of the optimization
process, in which the best operating conditions for a
given system are achieved. Throughout this paper Tg is
the only degree of freedom for which the system oper-
ation is optimized. In other words a given system with
all its components and external conditions will produce
maximum refrigeration output (maximum gs ) when
operating at the optimized Tg . Throughout these figures
the evaporator temperature is Te ¼ 4 °C (common in air-
conditioning) and condensing temperature (Tc ) varies
between 30 and 60 °C. For each working points the

150 100
150 100 Tc [oC] COPmec = 15
Tc [oC] COPmec = 20
40
40 130 80
130 80 50
50
60
60
110 60

ηs /B [oC]
Tg [oC]]

110 60
ηs /B [o C]
Tg [oC]

90 40
90 40

70 20 70 20

50 0 50 0
100 120 140 160 180 200 100 120 140 160 180 200
o
(a) Tst [oC] (a) Tst [ C]

1.0 100 1.0 100

Tc [oC] COPmec = 15
Tc [oC] COPmec = 20
40 40
0.8 80 0.8 80
50 50
60 60
0.6 60
η /B [oC]

0.6 60
η /B [oC]

COPthr
COPthr

0.4 40
c

0.4 40

0.2 20 0.2 20

0.0 0 0.0 0
100 120 140 160 180 200 100 120 140 160 180 200
Tst [oC] (b) Tst [oC]
(b)

Fig. 3. (a) Optimal overall efficiency and generator temperature Fig. 4. (a) Optimal overall efficiency and generator temperature
for COPmec ¼ 20; (b) optimal collector efficiency and refriger- for COPmec ¼ 15; (b) optimal collector efficiency and refriger-
ation cycle COPthr for COPmec ¼ 20. ation cycle COPthr for COPmec ¼ 15.
 A. Arbel, M. Sokolov / Solar Energy 77 (2004) 57–66 63

150 100 150 100

Tc [oC] COPmec = 10 Tc [oC]] COPmec = 5
40 50
130 80 130 80
50 60
60
110 60 110 60

ηs /B [oC]

ηs /B [oC]
Tg [oC]

Tg [oC]]
90 40 90 40

70 20 70 20

50 0 50 0
100 120 140 160 180 200 100 120 140 160 180 200
(a) Tst [oC] (a) Tst [oC]

1.0 100 2.0 100

COPmec = 10 Tc [oC] COPmec = 5
50
0.8 80 1.6 80
60

0.6 60 1.2 60

ηc /B [oC]
ηc /B [oC]

COPthr
COPthr

0.4 40 0.8 40

0.2 20 0.4 20
Tc [oC] 40 50 60
0.0 0 0.0 0
100 120 140 160 180 200 100 120 140 160 180 200
(b) Tst [oC] (b) Tst [oC]]

Fig. 5. (a) Optimal overall efficiency and generator temperature Fig. 6. (a) Optimal overall efficiency and generator temperature
for COPmec ¼ 10; (b) optimal collector efficiency and refriger- for COPmec ¼ 5; (b) optimal collector efficiency and refrigera-
ation cycle COPthr for COPmec ¼ 10. tion cycle COPthr for COPmec ¼ 5.

optimized operating conditions are given for different Table 1

qualities of collector represented by Tst . The higher Tst Thermodynamic states of the R-142b boosted from evaporator
the better is the quality (efficiency) of the collector. at 4 °C for various COPmec
The parameter that varies discretely between those COPmec DP ¼ Ps
Pe Ps (kPa) Ts (°C) Ps =Pe
Figs. 2–6 is COPmec . For a given set of operating con- (kPa)
ditions (Te ; Tc ; Tg ), high COPmec represents a lesser 1 0 168.2 4.0 1.00
amount of mechanical energy that is supplied to the 20 64.6 232.8 13.3 1.38
system (mainly to the booster). Thus COPmec ! 1 15 88.8 256.9 16.3 1.53
represents the unenhanced solar-powered ejector air- 10 140.9 309.0 22.1 1.84
conditioning system. For a given Pe (for Te ¼ 4 °C, 5 324.0 492.2 37.7 2.93
Pe ¼ 168 kPa), various COPmec correspond to certain
pressure boosts Ps
Pe and compression ratios Ps =Pe .
The corresponding values are shown in Table 1.
The optimal operation conditions are obtained by whole. It results in a lower generator temperature (a-
determining Tg , which causes a maximum gs . Each of the series), which causes higher collector efficiency (b-series)
figures (Figs. 2–6), which describes an optimal opera- and since the temperature difference Tc
Te is reduced;
tional state, is divided into parts a and b. The a-series the COPthr of the refrigeration cycle is also increased.
depicts the operating generator temperature Tg and the The quality or the stagnation temperature of the col-
total system efficiency that is obtained at those optimal lector also has a favorable influence on the system as a
operating conditions. In the b-series, the efficiencies of whole. A better quality (high Tst ) collector can efficiently
the collector gc =B and the COPthr of the compression- provide solar heat at elevated Tg and therefore improve
enhanced ejector system are shown. the refrigeration system working conditions.
Considering Figs. 2–6, it seems that low condensing A decrease in COPmec means that more energy is in-
temperature Tc is always beneficial to the system as a vested in a form of a mechanical energy by the booster.
64 A. Arbel, M. Sokolov / Solar Energy 77 (2004) 57–66

This mechanical energy is used to ease off the compres-
sion required by the ejector. From a strict thermody-
namic point of view, the compression cycle is more
efficient than the ejector cycle. However, when thermal
energy is available at low cost (e.g. solar), the combina-
tion of the two, in the compression enhanced ejector
system, results in a more efficient use of the thermal en-
ergy. A decrease in COPmec therefore improves the
COPthr of the system for a given condensing temperature,
or alternatively facilitate an increase of that temperature.
Figs. 2–6 provide the information needed to evaluate
the option of a solar-powered compression-enhanced air
conditioner. The spectrum of operating conditions cov-
ered by these figures is wide enough to include a large
variety of possible conditions.
Fig. 7 demonstrates the optimal overall efficiency
improvement of the system using R-142b compared to
R-114. The results indicate that such improvement in-
crease with condenser temperature and vary between
15% and 45%.

50 50
COPmec → ∞ COPmec = 20
40 40

∆ηs [%]
∆η s [%]

30 30

20 20

30 40
10
Tc [oC] 40
10 Tc [oC] 50
50 60
0 0
100 120 140 160 180 200 100 120 140 160 180 200
(a) (b)
Tst [oC] o
Tst [ C]
50 50
COPmec = 15 Tc [oC] COPmec = 10
40 40 40
50
60
∆ηs [%]
∆ηs [%]

30 30

20 20

40 10
10
Tc [oC] 50
60
0 0
100 120 140 160 180 200 100 120 140 160 180 200
(c) Tst [ C]o (d) o
Tst [ C]

50
Tc [oC] COPmec = 5
40 50
60
∆η s [%]

30

20

10

0
100 120 140 160 180 200
(e) Tst [oC]

Fig. 7. Optimal overall efficiency improvement using R-142b compared to R-114: (a) for COPmec ! 1; (b) for COPmec ¼ 20; (c) for
COPmec ¼ 15; (d) for COPmec ¼ 10; (e) for COPmec ¼ 5.
 A. Arbel, M. Sokolov / Solar Energy 77 (2004) 57–66 65

7. Illustrative example Qe ¼ gs GT ¼ 0:488  694 ¼ 338:4 W=m2 : ð14Þ

The potential of utilization of the compression-en-
hanced ejector air conditioner for solar cooling is best
illustrated by some typical examples. For this purpose
the performance of such a system will be evaluated for a
total hourly average solar radiation at a rate of 694 W/
m2 (2.5 MJ/m2 h) over a tilted collector. The collector of
the system is assumed to be a flat-plate collector with a
single cover and selective coating with stagnation tem-
perature Tst ¼ 200 °C and 0.85 efficiency at To ¼ 10 °C.
Substituting in Eq. (7) will result in
B ¼ 0:85=ð200
10Þ ¼ 0:0045 °C
1 : ð12Þ
For evaporator and condenser temperatures of 4 and
40 °C, respectively, and COPmec ¼ 10 then from Fig. 5a
at Tst ¼ 200 °C
gs =B ¼ 109 °C or gs ¼ 109  0:0045 ¼ 0:488: ð13Þ
Such overall system efficiency is achieved with a gener-
ator temperature of Tg ¼ 99:5 °C (Fig. 5a) collector
efficiency gc ¼ 100:5  0:0045 ¼ 0:45 and COPthr ¼
1:085 (Fig. 5b). The amount of air-conditioning gener-
ated per m2 of collector area is therefore given (Eq. (1))
by
To provide 1 ton refrigeration (3516 W, 12,000
Btu/h) will require total collectors area of
Ac ¼ 3516=338:4 ¼ 10:4 m2 : ð15Þ
This is about one third of the 32.3 m2 collector area
required under identical conditions with the unenhanced
ejector system (according to Fig. 2). Such a saving of
collector’s area is achieved by additional mechanical
energy, which is given by (Eq. (1))
Wmec ¼ Qe =COPmec ¼ 3516=10 ¼ 352 W: ð16Þ
A conventional air conditioning operating in these
condition will have typically a COPmec ¼ 2:5 or will re-
quire about 1406 W. Thus the 10.4 m2 of collector area,
saves about 1406 ) 352 ¼ 1054 W, which is a saving of
101.5 W/m2 compared to 1406/32.3 ¼ 43.5 W/m2 for the
unenhanced system. This represents an effective overall
conversion ratio of 101.5/694 ¼ 14.6%. Considering the
relative low price of the flat-plate collector, this is an
attractive alternative to photovoltaic conversion.
Table 2 summarizes several cases with condensing
temperature of 50 °C for a collector with efficiency of 0.9
at To ¼ 10 °C and stagnation temperature Tst ¼ 180 °C
or B ¼ 0:0053 °C
1 . The condensation temperature of

Table 2
Operation parameters for the solar-powered compression-enhanced ejector air conditioner for various COPmec
System specifications
Refrigerant R-142b
Evaporator temperature Te ¼ 4 °C Evaporator pressure Pe ¼ 168 kPa
Condensing temperatures Tc ¼ 50 °C Condenser pressure Pc ¼ 685 kPa
Collector stagnation temperature Tst ¼ 180 °C
Collector efficiency coefficient B ¼ 0:0053 °C
1
Solar radiation on collector GT ¼ 700 W/m2
Power requirement of a conventional air conditioner 1.4
kW/ton refrigeration
Operation conditions
COPmec 5 10 15 20
Intercooler pressure (kPa) 492.2 309.0 257.0 232.8
Intercooler temperature (°C) 37.7 22.1 16.3 13.3
Generator temperature (°C) 100 103 104 106
Generator pressure (kPa) 2220 2233 2310 2374
System overall efficiency gs 0.646 0.214 0.152 0.127
Collectors efficiency gc 0.424 0.410 0.401 0.393
Ejector COPthr 1.52 0.52 0.38 0.32
Requirements for 1 ton air-conditioning capacity (Qe ¼ 12,000 Btu/h ¼ 3516 W)
Total radiation on the collectors (kW) 5.45 16.4 23.1 27.6
Collectors’ area Ac (m2 ) 7.79 23.5 32.0 39.5
Heat supplied to the generator (kW) 2.31 6.74 9.26 10.9
Total mechanical power requirement (kW) 0.7 0.35 0.23 0.18
Heat rejection in condenser (kW) 6.53 10.61 13.01 14.56
Equivalent mechanical power replacement per unit area of 90.2 44.9 35.5 31.2
collector (W/m2 )
Effective conversion efficiency (%) 12.9 6.4 5.1 4.6
66 A. Arbel, M. Sokolov / Solar Energy 77 (2004) 57–66
50 °C represents an increased burden on the system
compared to the previous example. The fact that the
generator temperature decreases with an increase of the
mechanical power input, is also observed. As stated
earlier, an increase of the mechanical energy input to the
system reduces the load on the ejector sub-cycle,
resulting in a reduction of the generator temperature
and a consequent increase of the collector efficiency. For
the COPmec ¼ 20, it seems that solar collectors may
provide sufficient air-conditioning for approximately the
same area as the collector’s.
8. Space heating
Direct transport of solar heat from the collectors to
the evaporator will convert the hardware of the solar-
powered compression-enhanced ejector system, into a
space heater. One of the various ways to achieve that is
mentioned in Sokolov and Hershgal (1993) for the un-
enhanced system. A similar plumbing system can also be
used here. Such a conversion is simple enough to war-
rant the description here, unnecessary.
9. Concluding remarks
The compression-enhanced ejector system is capable
of generating air-conditioning by utilizing solar collec-
tors as a heat source. The efficiency of the system may be
tailored to exact specification of available solar heat, air-
conditioning requirements and climate conditions sce-
narios. This degree of design flexibility is achieved by
proper combination of solar and mechanical energies.
All the components of the system are off-the-shelf items
that are readily available in the air-conditioning com-
ponents marketplace.
Like any other solar system, this one is not complete
without some storage. Due to the low thermal efficiency
of the system, it is wasteful to store large amounts of
heat. Cold storage is therefore the only sensible alter-
native that may be achieved by phase changing materi-
als, cold water, or ice.
The results indicate that a SPEACS with R-142b is
more efficient than the one operating with R-114. Thus
using R-142b not only offers a ‘‘greener’’ system but also
a better one.
The efficiency of such system may be improved by
raising the generator temperature. This may require a
higher class of flat-plate collectors or even the usage of
concentrating collectors. Although such an improve-
ment might be appreciably high, it should nevertheless
be realized that the maximum generator temperature is
limited by the fact that the refrigerants tend to lose their
chemical stability at elevated temperatures.
A combined compression-enhanced ejector system, in
which solar space-heating, air-conditioning, and hot
water are produced, with moderate condensing temper-
atures, is a very feasible system. It can be used for more
than one season, and the size of the collectors has been
reduced, making this a very economical system.
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge the European
Commission support of the work described in this paper
through project TRI-GEN EGD (Project # NNE5-
2001-00538).
References
Duffie, J.A., Beckman, W.A., 1980. Solar Engineering of
Thermal Processes. Wiley-Interscience, New York.
Sokolov, M., Hershgal, D., 1993. Solar-powered compression-
enhanced ejector air conditioner. Solar Energy 51, 183–194.