Much of this symposium refers to water-cooled air conditioning systems which utilize solar heatfrom flat plate collectors as their basic source of energy. Those systems are of primary importancein the development of solar heating and cooling. However, in the long term, if solarenergy is to achieve fairly universal use in residential applications across the country, itwill also be necessary to develop air-cooled equipment. The purpose of this paper is to reviewthe types of absorption cycles which may be suited to air-cooled solar operation. The examplesto be used represent variations of absorption cycles which have had, or seem likely to have,some commercial utilization. Intermittent cycles will not be included because for mass productionthey have been more expensive and less efficient than continuous cycles.

The discussions will be based on ammonia-water since that is the only refrigerant-absorbentpair, suitable for air cooling, that has had general usage. The results will be applicable toother absorbent-refrigerant combinations which may be capable of being air-cooled.