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IEA SHC Task 38 Solar Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Subtask C1 Report, 31 October 2010
2 ABSORPTION REFRIGERATION
Erich Podesser (on behalf of AEE-INTEC)
2.1 Introduction and historical review
The large field of applications of the sorption cooling technology, which uses heat as the
driving energy for the cooling process, is the oldest cooling technique. It is worth mentioning
that the first artificial cooling device of Edmond Carré follows the periodical absorption
cooling technique and was put in operation around 1850.
Figure 1: World exhibition 1878 in Paris /1/. On September 29 Augustin Mouchot produces
the first ice block with solar energy using a periodical absorption machine of Edmund Carré
(Courtesy of Olynthus).
The period from 1850 to 1880 in France was marked by an energy crisis caused by a
tremendous increase in costs of conventional fuel (wood, coal). The reason for that cost
increase was the industrial development and an insufficient extension of coal mining in
France. For one ton of steel about seven to ten tons of charcoal were needed and the price
for energy rose about 10% per year. The government of France decided to subsidize the
development of solar applications. It is only little known and should therefore be mentioned,
that at that time (1850 to 1880) in France all solar technologies, except photovoltaic
applications, were carried out using the available techniques [1].
The continuous increase of man-made CO 2 concentration in the 20 th century and the
environmental pollution from energy conversion promote the utilization of renewable energy
like solar and biomass to meet air-conditioning and refrigeration needs.
2. 2 Description of the technology
2.2.1 Sorption refrigeration systems
A large variety of sorption processes are well known and tested. Most of them can be
assigned to the structure in figure 2, which shows a compilation of possible processes.
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