Solar assisted gas-fired absorption heat pump

An evaluation of the technical and economic feasibility of coupling an absorption heat pump and an active solar system for residential applications is discussed. The absorption heat pump is based on a new absorption working pair developed by Allied. Three basic modes of coupling were considered, a series arrangement, a parallel arrangement, and a solar drive arrangement. Little overall difference in performance was found for these three modes but the solar drive was chosen for detailed study. A preliminary design of a dual mode absorption generator was developed capable of using simultaneously heat from gas and solar. The performance of such a system was examined in three cities.