Utilization of Solar Energy as an Energy Source in DC Freezer

Machines for Mobile Ice Cream Sellers

I Dewa Made Susila

, I Wayan Adi Subagia

, Daud Simon Anakottapary

, Putu Wijaya Sunu

and I Nengah Ardita

Bali State Polytechnic, Indonesia

Keywords: DC Freezer, Solar Energy, Performance, Energy Consumption.

Abstract: Currently, refrigeration machines have a very important role in domestic, commercial, industrial, and

transportation needs. One type of refrigeration machine is a freezer machine that is used for mobile ice cream

sellers. A prototype freezer machine for mobile ice cream sellers has been made. The DC compressors and

solar PVs will be used on these mobile ice cream sellers. Solar energy is the largest renewable energy on earth

that can be converted into electrical energy. The electrical energy produced by solar PVs will be stored first

with batteries before use in the DC freezer system. The components of the solar PV system include solar PVs,

solar charge controllers, and batteries. The DC compressor used is a hermetic type with a power of 100W,

while the condenser is equipped with a fan motor with a power of 12W. By considering the operation of the

DC freezer machine for 8 hours a day, the solar PVs used to have a capacity of 300WP, monocrystalline type.

While the size of the solar charge controller is 20A and the battery used is 12V and 200Ah. From the test, the

COP value is 4.97 and the energy consumption is 13.61kJ.

1 INTRODUCTION

In this modern era and with the large purchasing

power of the people, ice cream entrepreneurs among

small communities flocked to make mobile ice cream

businesses. They make uniqueness from the process

of making ice cream to the choice of flavors. Making

this ice cream utilizes the science of refrigeration so

people try to make breakthroughs by making a

portable ice cream machine where this machine uses

a battery as its power source. Because the compressor

of this ice cream freezer machine uses AC and it is

not possible to carry it around, it requires a DC power

source, so that the ice cream freezer machine can be

carried.

For this reason, the solution is to use solar PVs

that produce DC, so that they can be used directly on

the ice cream freezer machine.

Indonesia has a large enough solar energy

potential. Indonesia's average solar radiation potential

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is around 4.8 kWh/m2/day with a monthly variation

of around 9% (Widyana Gede, 2012). The solar PV

system is very suitable to be developed in Indonesia

because it gets sunlight all year round, and in remote

areas that are difficult to reach by PLN. Solar PVs are

also an environmentally friendly alternative energy.

Converting solar energy into electrical energy

requires solar cells which are semi-conducting

materials using the photovoltaic effect. Solar cells or

PV cells rely on the photovoltaic effect to absorb solar

energy and cause current to flow between two

oppositely charged layers. To get a large electrical

voltage as desired, several solar cells are arranged in

series.

A study on evaluation analysis of the development

of a solar cooling machine using conventional

refrigerant HFC134a for use in rural and medical

areas where there is no access to a modern power

source has been carried out. From the results of the

study, it was found that the COP of the system

638

Susila, I., Subagia, I., Anakottapary, D., Sunu, P. and Ardita, I.

Utilization of Solar Energy as an Energy Source in DC Freezer Machines for Mobile Ice Cream Sellers.

DOI: 10.5220/0011860500003575

In Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Applied Science and Technology on Engineering Science (iCAST-ES 2022), pages 638-642

ISBN: 978-989-758-619-4; ISSN: 2975-8246

increased by 8.67% when working with solar energy

and reduced energy by 2.38% respectively (Banjo

S.O. et al, 2021).

Chaitanya G et al (2021) conducted a study to

develop a Solar PV system that can run a cooling

engine with a vapor compression refrigeration cycle.

From his research, it was found that the use of

electricity generated from the Solar PV system saves

monthly costs incurred on electricity bills. Solar PV

systems help in eliminating CO2 emissions when

compared to electricity generated from coal-based

power.

A review on the development and application of

Solar PV in refrigeration machines operated with AC

and DC electric current has been carried out by

Gangadhar V, Umesh V. Hambire (2021). With the

change of the AC compressor motor to a DC

compressor, no inverter is needed and the load on

Solar PV will be less. For AC refrigerators, the power

surge is 250-425W during the cycle, while for

refrigerators with DC power, the power surge is less

than 75 W.

Ganorkar S. V. et al (2017) conducted research on

refrigeration systems with solar power. A solar

refrigerator is a cooling system that uses solar energy.

The solar refrigerator consists of a compressor,

condenser, expansion valve, and evaporator. During

the normal operation of the solar refrigerator, the

power is supplied directly by the solar panel, but

when the output power of the solar panel is less, the

additional power is supplied by the battery. It was

concluded that implementing a cooling system with

solar energy is one of the best ways to achieve

efficiency and ensure that environmental

conservation can be carried out.

Kalbande S. R. and Sneha Deshmukh (2015)

conducted research on a refrigeration system with a

vapor compression refrigeration cycle using solar PV

for vaccine preservation. The output power of the

photovoltaic system is determined at no-load and full-

load conditions. The average photovoltaic efficiency

was found to be 8.4 and 8.2% for no-load and full-

load conditions while the energy efficiency was 11.4

and 11.2%, respectively.

Simson Pinto, A. Madhusudhan (2016) conducted

a study on a refrigeration system with Solar PV

equipped with a cold thermal bank for use at night.

The refrigerator system is designed for a capacity of

150 liters. The power supply to run the AC

compressor is provided by solar panels via an

inverter. When the refrigerator is powered by Solar

PV, the solution takes 3½ hours to reach -100oC at

full load. The 10liter aqueous solution can provide

nearly 17 hours of cooling at full load without running

the refrigerator.

Suamir IN et al (2020) conducted an experimental

study on the use of PV panels on chest freezers in hot

climates. This study investigates the potential use of

PV power supply systems for freezers in Indonesia a

hot climate area. A PV solar-powered chest freezer

has been created to experimentally investigate its

daily operating performance. The results of the study

show that PV panels applied to freezers and in hot

climate areas are highly prospective.

2 STUDY OF LITERATURE

2.1 Vapour Compression Refrigeration

Cycle

The freezer machine used for this ice cream seller

uses a vapor compression refrigeration cycle. The

main components of the vapor compression

refrigeration cycle are the compressor, condenser,

expansion device, and evaporator. The important

performance parameters of the vapor compression

refrigeration cycle are the coefficient of performance

and energy consumption.

Figure 1: Diagram of ideal vapor compression refrigeration

cycle process. (Susila I Dewa Made et al (2021).

Currently, refrigeration machines have a very

important role in the household, commercial,

industrial, and transportation needs. Refrigeration

machines are used both for convenience and for

preserving food products. One type of refrigeration

machine that is used to cool and simultaneously

freeze food products is a freezer. Ice in everyday life

also has an important role, both for preservation and

for serving as well as ice cream (Widiyatmoko,

2015).

2.2 Solar PV System

Solar panels, also known as Solar Photovoltaic (Solar

PV) are devices consisting of solar cells that function

to convert sunlight into electrical energy.

Utilization of Solar Energy as an Energy Source in DC Freezer Machines for Mobile Ice Cream Sellers

639

Photovoltaic (PV) cells are solid-state

semiconductor devices that directly convert light

energy (solar radiation) into direct current (DC)

electrical energy. The voltage and electric current

produced by solar cells is influenced by two variables,

namely the intensity of solar radiation and ambient

temperature. The intensity of solar radiation received

by solar cells is proportional to the voltage and

electric current produced by solar cells, while the

ambient temperature is higher with a constant

intensity of solar radiation, the voltage of the solar

PVs will decrease and the electric current generated

will increase. Solar photovoltaic panels generate DC

power which can be used to operate DC motors.

Figure 2: PV solar system schematic (Widayana Gede,

2012).

Solar panel refers to a panel designed to absorb

the sun's rays as a source of energy for generating

electricity or heating. A Solar panel refers either to a

photovoltaic module, a solar thermal energy panel, or

a set of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules electrically

connected and mounted on a supporting structure. A

PV module is a packaged, connected assembly of

solar cells. Solar Photovoltaic panels constitute the

solar array of a photovoltaic system that generates

and supplies solar electricity for commercial and

residential applications. A photovoltaic system

typically includes a panel or an array of solar

modules, a solar inverter, and sometimes a battery

and/or solar tracker and interconnection wiring

(Manabhanjan Sahoo, Ivan Sunit Rout, 2016).

3 RESEARCH METHODS

This research was conducted through research and

development (R & D). The AC compressor on the

freezer machine prototype was replaced by using a

DC compressor. Similarly, the fan motor for the

condenser, which was originally an AC type, was

replaced with a DC fan motor.

Figure 3: DC freezer machine design drawing for traveling

ice cream sellers.

Table 1.

No Parts

1 DC Com

resso

2 Condenso

3 Capillary tube

4 Evaporato

5 Batter

6Solar char

e controlle

7 Ice-cream box

8Solar PV

Figure 4: Wiring diagram on DC freezer for mobile ice

cream seller.

Table 2.

No Parts

1Solar PV

2Solar char

e controlle

3 Batter

4 Ampere mete

5 Volt mete

6Fuse

7 Switch ON-OFF

8 Thermostat

9DC fan moto

10 DC compresso

The DC compressor used has 12V and 100W

technical specifications, while the fan motor has 12W

power, so the total power of this freezer is 112W.

With this total power, by using the formulas to

calculate the capacity of the solar panels, the capacity

iCAST-ES 2022 - International Conference on Applied Science and Technology on Engineering Science

640

and number of solar panels to be used will be

obtained, as well as the size of the solar charge

controller (SCC) and battery capacity. The capillary

tube will also be replaced and its size determined

using the CapSel application program version 1.0,

database 2.2. The refrigerant used is HFC-134a with

a design temperature of -20oC and a condensation

temperature of -20oC, respectively. The sub-cooled

(SC) and super-heated (SH) degrees are designed for

3K and 8K, respectively. Its isentropic efficiency is

considered to be 100%.

After the components of the solar panel system are

assembled, the refrigerant is filled into the system

with the optimum mass according to its working

pressure. After the system works normally, it will be

tested to determine its performance and energy

consumption. The test is carried out by measuring the

refrigerant temperature at 6 set-points using a type K

thermocouple and temperature display while

measuring DC voltage and current are measured at

the input cable to the system.

4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

By using the total 112W power required by the DC

freezer machine for mobile ice cream sellers, it can be

determined the total capacity of the solar panels

needed, which is 300WP. Because the solar panels are

selected with a capacity of 100WP, 3 solar panels are

needed. For the solar charge controller, a size of 20A

is used, while the battery with a capacity of 12V and

200Ah is used. By inputting the design data into the

CapSel application program version 1.0, database 2.2,

the size of the capillary tube is 0.031 inches in

diameter and 2.39 meters long. The evaporator used

is a bar tube type that is wrapped around an ice cream

box. The evaporator is made of copper pipe with an

outer diameter of 3/8 inch and a length of 15.8 meters,

with a heat transfer area of 0.47m

. While the

condenser used is a finned tube type with a heat

transfer area of 0.64 m

. The optimum mass of

refrigerant HFC-134a filled into the system is 0.510

grams. Tests were carried out by load at a low

pressure of 4.5 PSIG and high pressure of 130 PSIG.

In the load test, the lowest evaporator temperature up

to -18

C takes 270 minutes. The load used is 5 liters

of water which is put into 5 plastic bottles with a

capacity of 1 liter each.

To determine the COP of a DC freezer machine

for this mobile ice cream seller, the CoolPack

application program is used. The input test data

includes refrigerant type, evaporation temperature,

condensation temperature, super-heat degree, sub-

cooled degree, and isentropic efficiency. Meanwhile,

to determine energy consumption, the existing

formulas are used

Figure 5: DC freezer machine for mobile ice cream sellers.

4.1 Variation of COP, Evaporating

Temperature, Energy Consumption

and Cooling Time

From Figure 6 below, it can be seen that the curve for

energy consumption from the 20th minute appears to

have a downward trend, although not too much. This

decrease in energy consumption is proportional to the

decrease in temperature that occurs. The average

energy consumption is 13.61kJ. The energy

consumption of the same device using an AC

compressor is much higher (67.8kJ) (Susila I Dewa

Made, et al, 2021) when compared to using a DC

compressor.

Figure 6: Variation of COP, evaporating temperature,

energy consumption, and cooling time.

Likewise, the curve for COP starting at minute 20,

tends to decrease and is very small until minute 300.

The average COP during the test is 4.97. Compared

to the same test carried out in the previous year but

using an AC compressor, the freezer machine for

Utilization of Solar Energy as an Energy Source in DC Freezer Machines for Mobile Ice Cream Sellers

641

itinerant ice cream vendors using a DC compressor

has a higher COP.

This is in line with research conducted by

Gangadhar V, and Umesh V.Hambire (2021). On the

one hand, the evaporation temperature curve

decreases steadily from the 25th minute and the

lowest temperature of -18

C is reached at 265 to 275

minutes. When compared with the design evaporation

temperature, there is a difference of 2

C. The

evaporator is used to cool the ice cream box which is

designed to work at a temperature of -17

5 CONCLUSION

This DC freezer machine for mobile ice cream sellers

is designed using a solar panel system. With a total

power required by the system of 112W, the required

solar panel capacity is 300WP with a 20A solar

charge controller (SCC) and 12V, 200Ah batteries

used. After testing, the COP of the DC freezer

machine for this mobile ice cream seller is 4.97 and

the energy consumption is 13.61kJ.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to thank the government of

the Republic of Indonesia, especially the Bali State

Polytechnic has funded this research. The author also

thanks the head of P3M PNB who has helped

facilitate the writing, implementation, and reporting

of the research.

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