Thermal Performance Evaluation of Solar Cooling Systems for Educational Facilities in Baghdad

Schools in Baghdad also suffer from poor thermal comfort, which is a common problem in high-temperature and low-humidity arid climates such as that of the city, where using cooling devices leads to a large energy demand and overloads on the national power grid. Such study offers a thorough assessment of the thermal performance of solar-based cooling systems in an efficient manner to be suitable for educational buildings in Baghdad. The analysis is centred on a solar thermal cooling system with absorption as the heat interaction medium, and an experimental characterisation and mathematical simulation itself are performed. A pilot installation, consisting of a 35 kW single-effect LiBr-H2O absorption chiller operated with evacuated tube solar collectors and metallic thermal storage was set up and monitored at an educational institution. Empirical cooling load, irradiance and ambient data were obtained from local Iraqi authorities (Iraqi Meteorological institute and Ministry of Education) together with on-site measurements. Results of the experiments indicate that in peak summer months, the solar absorption system performed with average thermal Coefficient Of Performance (COP) close to 0.68 and an approximately 55% of solar fraction that meets a substantial part of building cooling load, which accounts for a reduction in annual electricity consumption around 38%. Comparison with prior works in the MENA region demonstrates that system performance is valid for such applications, achieving possible primary energy savings of greater than 60% and payback periods ranging from 10 to 15 years (based upon a favorable economic climate). The results highlight the technical possibility of solar cooling systems in Iraq’s education sector, compared to reducing energy consumption vulnerability, maintenance cost and carbon reduction.