Performance of a cooling system driven by engine exhaust heat.

The use of stationary generators for electricity generation is widespread in areas where access to power distribution networks is limited, including rural areas and in developing countries. Often, a significant portion of the electricity generated by these systems is used to provide refrigeration and cooling of food products, as well as medication and vaccines. However, the cost of providing electricity for refrigeration, by this means can be expensive, and means a significant amount of energy is rejected in the form of heat from the engine exhaust. Therefore, this study examines the feasibility of recovering the heat in the exhaust of a stationary engine and using this “waste” heat to drive a diffusion-absorption refrigeration. In doing so it shows that the exhaust heat can deliver useful cooling by this means, thus allowing the electricity generated to be used for other purposes and hence improving the sustainability of small scale generation systems.