Solar-energy-system performance evaluation: Honeywell Salt River Project, Phoenix, Arizona, September, October, December 1981 -January, February, July, August 1982

Technical Report · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6028904· OSTI ID:6028904

Raymond, M. G.

The solar system at the Honeywell - Salt River Project in Phoenix, Arizona, provided a total of eight percent of the combined Space Cooling Subsystem (SCS) and Space Heating Subsystem (SHS) loads of 2665 million Btu during September, October, and December 1981 and January, February, July, and August 1982. Net electrical energy savings were 76.9 million Btu, equivalent to 22,500 kWh, or $1350 at an average electrical power cost of $0.06 per kWh. The solar system has an 8208-square-foot array of liquid flat-plate collectors mounted on the roof of the building. There is a 2500-gallon storage tank used only for heating. Heating is a minor part of the load - only a small part of the building is heated at any time of the year. About 90% of the solar energy is used for cooling, using two 25-ton vapor compression water chillers driven by the Rankine engines. Coupled between the Rankine engine and the compressor is a motor/generator which drives the chiller when solar energy is not available, and which generates electric power when there is exces solar energy not needed for cooling. A 228-ton centrifugal chiller is the primary source of cooling for the building. Highlights of the performance at the Honeywell - Salt River Project during the seven-month reporting period are: very good collector subsystem performance. The large array, which had to collect at high temperatures (170/sup 0/F - 200/sup 0/F) because of the characteristics of the Rankine engines, had an overall efficiency of 31%, and an operational efficiency of 39%. This was the best collector performance for an NSDN cooling system. The low solar fraction (eight percent) is due to the design of the cooling system. The two 25-ton solar-driven vapor compressor chillers supplement a much larger Westinghouse 228-ton centrifugal chiller. The solar system provided seven percent of the total cooling load, 19% of the cooling furnished by the Rankine engines, and 48% of the heating load.

• Research Organization: Vitro Labs., Silver Spring, MD (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC01-79CS30027
• OSTI ID: 6028904
• Report Number(s): SOLAR/2105-83/14; ON: DE83012768
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140901* -- Solar Thermal Utilization-- Space Heating & Cooling
AIR CONDITIONERS
AIR CONDITIONING
ALCOHOLS
BUILDINGS
COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS
ENERGY SYSTEMS
ENGINES
EQUIPMENT
FLAT PLATE COLLECTORS
GLYCOLS
HEAT ENGINES
HEATING
HEATING SYSTEMS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PERFORMANCE
RANKINE CYCLE ENGINES
SOLAR AIR CONDITIONERS
SOLAR AIR CONDITIONING
SOLAR COLLECTORS
SOLAR COOLING SYSTEMS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SOLAR HEATING
SOLAR HEATING SYSTEMS
SOLAR SPACE HEATING
SPACE HEATING
SPECTRALLY SELECTIVE SURFACES
SURFACES
VAPOR COMPRESSION REFRIGERATION CYCLE