In the present study, a steady-state simulation model was built and validated by Aspen Plus to assess the performance of an absorption refrigeration chiller according to the open literature. Given the complex heat transfer happening in the absorbers and the generator, several assumptions were proposed to simplify the model, for which a new parameter ${\epsilon }_{liq}$ was introduced to describe the ratio of possible heat that could be recovered from the absorption and heat-transferring process in the solution cooling absorber. The energetic and the exergetic investigations of a basic cycle and hybrid cycles were conducted, in which the following parameters were analyzed: coefficient of performance (COP), exergetic efficiency, exergy destruction, and irreversibility. According to the results, the basic cycle exhibited major irreversibility in the absorbers and the generator. Subsequently, two proposed novel configurations were adopted to enhance its performance; the first (configuration 1) involved a compressor between a solution heat exchanger and a solution cooling absorber, and the second (configuration 2) involved a compressor between a rectifier and a condenser. The peak COP and the overall exergetic efficiency (η) of configuration 1 were found to be better, increasing by 15% and 5.5%, respectively, and those of configuration 2 were also upregulated by 5% and 4%, respectively. The rise in intermediate compressor ratio not only reduced the driving generator temperature of both configurations but also expanded the operating range of the system under configuration 1, thus proving their feasibility in waste heat sources and the superiority of configuration 1. Detailed information about the optimal state for hybrid cycles is also presented.

The accurate distribution of solar energy on indoor walls is the basis of simulating the indoor thermal environment, and its specific distribution changes all the time due to the influence of solar azimuth and altitude angle. By analyzing the assumptions of each model, the existing solar energy distribution models are eight kinds in all and are divided into three categories. The solar radiation models in TRNSYS, EnergyPlus, and Airpak software all use the absorption-weighted area ratio method, which assumes that a single interior surface is a whole, but the detailed assumptions of the models used in the three software are different. In the Radiosity-irradiation method, the indoor surfaces are discretized into small surfaces for calculation. The calculation accuracy of solar radiation distribution indoors can be controlled by the number of discrete small surfaces. The Radiosity-irradiation method is implemented by using Matlab software programming in this paper. Through the numerical calculation and analysis of typical cases, the solar distribution results of the absorption-weighted area ratio method and the Radiosity-irradiation method all show the asymmetry. The asymmetrical ratio of direct solar radiation varies during the time between 7.96–9.89, and the minimum turns up at 11:30 in the summer solstice. The asymmetrical ratio of diffuse solar radiation is 3.23 constantly. The asymmetrical ratio of total solar energy is mainly influenced by the direct and diffuse solar feat gain and its value changes in the range from 3.4 to 4.45 in the summer solstice. Calculation comparison and error analysis on the solar radiation models used in TRNSYS, EnergyPlus, and Airpak software are conducted. There are significant errors in the simulation results of all three software. TRNSYS has the highest error among the three software as its results do not change over time. For EnergyPlus, the distribution ratio of floor 1 is too large. Airpak has the smallest error, but the solar radiation distribution ratios of the indoor surfaces near the south glazing facade are underrated, especially the indoor surfaces that have not been exposed to direct solar radiation.