1 Copyright © 2012 by ASME ASME 2012 11th Biennial Conference on Engineering systems Design and Analysis July 2-4, 2012, Nantes, FRANCE ESDA2012-82785 SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS OF A SOLAR COOLING SYSTEM Blaise LETEXIER PIMENT Laboratory Saint-Pierre, Reunion Island, FRANCE Olivier MARC PIMENT Laboratory Saint-Pierre, Reunion Island, FRANCE Jean-Philippe PRAENE PIMENT Laboratory Saint-Pierre, Reunion Island, FRANCE Franck LUCAS PIMENT Laboratory Saint-Pierre, Reunion Island, FRANCE ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is the optimization of Solar Absorption Cooling (SAC) system's performances. Over the past decade the electricity consumption has significantly increased in Reunion Island during the summer months, which is mainly due to the use of standard air conditioning systems. SAC systems present a good alternative for reducing this consumption. Solar cooling systems are environmentally friendly as they use water and lithium bromide solution as the working fluid. The purpose of this work is to undertake a sensitivity analysis to identify parameters which have a significant influence on the SAC systems performances. The sensitivity analysis has been carried out on numerical models developed at the PIMENT laboratory and validated using RAFSOL experimental data (experimental plant is set up at the IUT in St- Pierre). The results of the sensitivity analysis are used to establish the design and create the control rules to allow for the optimization and ensure the performance of future SAC systems. Firstly, this paper presents the modelization of the SAC system and the sensitivity analysis method used. Secondly, it displays the results from the sensitivity analysis that has been applied to all main components of the plant separately(solar collector field, solar loop and absorption chiller) and to the entire system. Finally, the results are analyzed and discussed. Two types of influential parameters have been distinguished: variables factors and geometrical properties of the plant. This study highlights that the compactness of the installation, the quality of the solar collector, and the control of the temperature at the output of the distribution loop are essential. INTRODUCTION During summer in tropical climates, the energy consumption increase significantly. This augmentation is mostly due to the use of air conditioning in buildings. In Reunion Island the cooling of the buildings represent 50% of the total electricity consumption in summer. A state of art has been carried out on all the innovative systems set up in Reunion Island to reduce energy consumption and to produce renewable energy [1]. Among these systems, the solar absorption cooling (SAC) represents an interesting alternative to traditional compression vapor air conditioning. On one hand, solar energy used in this system has the advantage to be free and inexhaustible. On the second hand, the cooling needs are directly dependent to the availability of the solar energy. Indeed, a rise of the solar radiation will induce an augmentation of the cooling needs, but in the mean time it will also induce an augmentation of the cold production. This work is a part of the MEGAPICS project, which focuses on the definition of a methodology for performances guarantees of a SAC system. In order to ensure performances of solar cooling facilities, a study has been carried out on the prediction models which have been previously developed at the PIMENT laboratory. This study is a sensitivity analysis which allow to ascertain how these models depend of their input factors. Thus, the parameters which affect the most the performances of the different components of the facility, could be determined. The first part of the paper present the RAFSOL facility and the numerical model used to undertake the sensitivity analysis. The second part introduces the two different sensitivity analysis methods and their implementation. Then, in a third part results are presented and discussed.