Indiacool - UK-India Solar Cooling Innovation (Energy Catalyst Mid-stage Programme)

印度-英国创新太阳能制冷(Indiaco Ol)项目是英国和印度企业和学术合作伙伴、帝国理工学院、Solar Polar Limited、Mamata Energy和金奈安娜大学之间的工业研发合作项目。该项目旨在研究和推动一种创新的英国太阳能制冷技术的开发，以供其使用并进一步商业化两种应用：1)为发展中国家农村社区的农作物和食品提供低成本的太阳能制冷，作为食品冷链的一部分；以及2)住宅和小型零售和工业建筑的低成本太阳能空调。第一种应用有可能在印度和整个发展中国家商业化，在那里，由于缺乏足够的冷链，农作物和食品的浪费可能高达50%。帝国理工学院的主要贡献是：1)领导太阳极地制冷技术的计算模型，用于热力学和热力性能分析，其中考虑了印度不同的气候条件；2)研究在印度气候和两种不同的制冷应用中运行的技术的优化，特别关注工作流体的选择、工作压力、系统设计和关键部件的修改；3)支持结合优化工作结果的原型系统的设计和开发；以及4)支持在印度进行现场试验(在两个应用程序中)对原型的性能进行测试和监控。在计算建模任务中，热力学和热性能分析将通过利用帝国理工学院基于实验室吸收-冷却系统开发的现有建模工具来辅助进行。帝国理工学院将提供热力学、热流体、热模拟和吸收冷却系统方面的专业知识。利用这些专业知识，帝国理工学院还将协助扩展这些建模工具的复杂性，以包括(并允许)太阳极地系统的组件和流体设计，并扩展这些工具的预测能力，以包括在印度变化的气候条件下对系统进行动态建模。这项活动将允许针对这两种特定应用和印度的气候条件设计最优化的太阳极地制冷装置。模型所建议的最优化的太阳极地系统将通过实验室对太阳极地冷却系统的测试来证实。具体地说，将调查不同工作压力和工作流体对系统性能的影响，并将这些实验的结果用于建模工作。帝国理工学院还将调查修改系统组件可能对性能优化产生的影响。根据与上述1)和2)相关研究的结果，帝国理工学院将支持Solar Polar公司制定优化的设计规范和原型图纸(将建造用于现场试验)。帝国理工学院还将提供设计、测试和监控规范方面的专业知识，供项目的现场试验阶段使用。这将包括确定测试协议、评估和选择监测设备以及制定数据收集、传输和分析规范。帝国理工学院将支持Solar Polar采购所需的监测设备，并在实地试验原型系统内安装和调试这些设备。

The India-UK Innovative Solar Cooling (Indiacool) project is an industrial R&D collaboration between UK and India corporate and academic partners, Imperial College, Solar Polar Limited, Mamata Energy and Anna University, Chennai. It aims to investigate and advance the development of an innovative UK solar-cooling technology for its use and further commercialisation for two applications: 1) provision of low-cost solar cooling of crops and food in rural communities in developing countries as part of the food 'cold-chain'; and 2) low-cost solar air-conditioning of dwellings and small retail and industrial buildings.The first application has potential for commercialisation in India and throughout the developing world, where wastage of crops and food due to the lack of an adequate cold-chain can be as high as 50%. The second application has significant commercialisation potential in India and worldwide as it can potentially provide a viable alternative to compressor based air-conditioning which is responsible for substantial consumption of electricity and very significant carbon emissions.Imperial College's main contribution is to: 1) lead the computational modelling of Solar Polar's cooling technology for thermodynamic and thermal performance analysis that takes into account the varying climatic conditions in India; 2) investigate the optimisation of the technology for operating in the Indian climate and for the two different cooling applications, with particular focus on working fluid selection, working pressures, system design and key component modifications; 3) support the design and development of prototype systems incorporating the results of the optimisation work; and 4) support the testing and monitoring of the performance of the prototypes within field trials (within both applications) in India.Within the computational modelling task, thermodynamic and thermal performance analysis will be assisted by harnessing existing modelling tools for this technology which have been developed at Imperial College, based on a laboratory absorption-cooling system. Imperial College will provide expertise on thermodynamics, thermofluids, thermal modelling and absorption-cooling systems. Using this expertise, Imperial College will also assist in extending the complexity of these modelling tools to include (and allow) component and fluid design for the Solar Polar system and to extend the predictive capabilities of these tools to include dynamic modelling of the system within India's varying climatic conditions. This activity will allow optimised Solar Polar cooling units to be designed for the two specific applications and for the climatic conditions in India.Optimised Solar Polar's systems, suggested by the models, will be confirmed by laboratory testing on a Solar Polar cooling system. Specifically, the effect on system performance of different working pressures and working fluids will be investigated and results from these experiments will be used to feed into the modelling work. Imperial College will also investigate the impact on performance optimisation that may be achieved by modifications to system components.Based on the results from the research undertaken in relation to 1) and 2) above, Imperial College will support Solar Polar in the development of optimised design specifications and drawings for prototypes (that will be constructed for use in field trials).Imperial College will also provide expertise in the design, testing and monitoring specification for use within the field trial phase of the project. This will include definition of test protocols, assessment and selections of monitoring equipment and formulation of specifications for data collection, transmission and analysis. Imperial College will support Solar Polar in its procurement of the required monitoring equipment and in the installation and commissioning of the equipment within field trial prototype systems.