A Quantitative Examination of the Efficiency of a Biogas-Based Cooling System in Rural Regions

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The presented article "A Quantitative Examination of the Efficiency of Biogas-Based Cooling system in Rural Regions" focuses on determining the efficiency of the system to produce cold, the basis of which is heat (energy) from the combustion of biogas. The author created a model for determining the COP and ECOP of a triple-effect absorption cooling system. The aim of the author was to determine the potential of using animal waste in the Bursa area to produce cold.

Comments and questions:

Is equation (3) correctly formulated and explained?

What does "e*" mean in equation (4)?

The indices "0" and "E" are not explained in equation (7).

Table 1 - why are the calculated capacities of the components slightly different from the reference ones?

In section 2.5 - the correct unit is not given for the LHV value 17.52.

Fig.3 – it is unnecessary to indicate the composition and consumption of biogas in the graph, since the calculation focuses on the use of energy from the boiler under constant conditions (thermal input, thermal efficiency).

Fig. (3) and (4) and their discussions - are oriented towards thermodynamic quantities (temperatures) and therefore it is not necessary to mention and subsequently discuss the consumption and composition of biogas.

Fig. (6) and its discussion - in figure (6) you give the unit for ECOP (%) and in the discussion as well. Then why is the ECOP value in the discussion 100 times higher?

Determining the amount and composition of biogas from animal waste is only superficial. The contribution does not bring new knowledge in the field of thermodynamics or in the field of the use of renewable or alternative energy sources.

I do not recommend for publication.

Author Response

Please see the attachment

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

The findings offer valuable information for the design of sustainable cooling systems, showcasing the viability of biogas as a fuel source. Overall, this study contributes to the field of renewable energy and supports the development of  environmentally friendly cooling technologies.

After carefully reviewing the paper, it appears to be averagely written. While the content is presented adequately, there is room for improvement in terms of clarity, organization, and overall writing style. The paper  features a good introduction and background section. The authors have done a decent job in providing the necessary information for readers to understand the study's objectives and significance.

I am happy to accept the paper with the suggested corrections. The revisions will further improve the clarity and overall quality of the manuscript.

1. It is important to have a thorough review of the grammar and punctuation in a manuscript to ensure accuracy and readability. For example : the provided paragraph contains numerous grammatical errors:

"In conclusion, cooling potential of an area where has animal production can be evaluated according the last required number of animals given. In this study, Bursa province of Türkiye is selected as evaluated area. Bursa is one of the crowded cities of Türkiye and located in Marmara region. Bursa has seventeen districts and has huge animal production. Table 7 gives the number of animals which produced in Bursa [28]. There is no camel farming in the province. Also, numbers of pig and mules extremely low. The other animal species are spread throughout the city."

2. Please explain the difference between single double and triple effect systems in introduction

3. While reviewing the methods and materials section, I found that it lacks clarity; for example specific type of heat exchangers utilized is not mentioned. Please try to be more specific on the condenser/ heat exchangers considered for this study.

4. In order to enhance the readability, it is recommended to rearrange the content in the results section. Consider placing the textual explanations and descriptions before presenting the corresponding graphs or figures. This approach will provide readers with a clear and structured understanding of the results, allowing them to follow the information more easily.

5. The inclusion of a map of Turkey in the main manuscript is not relevant to the research findings. Consider relocating the map to the appendix instead

The overall English language usage in the paper is good, but it does require minor revisions. There are  paragraphs that contain a significant number of grammatical errors, which can impact the clarity.  I suggest conducting a thorough proofreading.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

-        Figure 2 and equations 1-5 are also used in bibliographic source 2, but this source is not cited when discussing the equations and figure 2. 

-        All the variables that appear in relations 1-8 must be explained. 

-        For the thermal power values of biogas: 20200 kJ/kg [12], 17.52 MJ [13-14] and 17683 kJ/kg,  there must be used the same measurement unit.(Chap. 2.5). 

-        The text does not refer to Figure 8. 

I propose the publication of the article after the minor revision suggested to the authors.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 4 Report

General

Please follow the template and guide for authors.

There are a lot of shortcuts at work. If there is a nomenclature chapter, full names + abbreviations together should not be used in the text.

Abstract

"COP, ECOP" - I suggest not to use abbreviations in abstract.

"kg/s" - the unit notation needs to be changed. Use the correct notation throughout the paper.

Keywords

I suggest to reduce the amount and shorten some of the keywords.

Introduction

At the end of the chapter, I suggest to indicate the novelty and aim of paper.

Minor changes required. 

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

The presented article "A Quantitative Examination of the Efficiency of Biogas-Based Cooling system in Rural Regions" focuses on determining the efficiency of the system to produce cold, the basis of which is heat (energy) from the combustion of biogas. The author created a model for determining the COP and ECOP of a triple-effect absorption cooling system. The aim of the author was to determine the potential of using animal waste in the Bursa area to produce cold.

 Comments and questions:

What does "e*" mean in equation (4)?

Table 1 - why are the calculated capacities of the components slightly different from the reference ones?

Fig.3 – it is unnecessary to indicate the composition and consumption of biogas in the graph, since the calculation focuses on the use of energy from the boiler under constant conditions (thermal input, thermal efficiency).

Fig. (3) and (4) and their discussions - are oriented towards thermodynamic quantities (temperatures) and therefore it is not necessary to mention and subsequently discuss the consumption and composition of biogas.

Despite the author's attempt to justify the possibility of using the triple-effect absorption cooling system, the basis of which is biogas produced from local sources, the contribution does not bring new knowledge in the field of thermodynamics or in the field of the use of renewable or alternative energy sources.

 I do not recommend for publication.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 4 Report

I have no further comment. 

I think that is ok. 

Round 3

Reviewer 1 Report

The presented article "A Quantitative Examination of the Efficiency of Biogas-Based Cooling system in Rural Regions" focuses on determining the efficiency of the system to produce cold, the basis of which is heat (energy) from the combustion of biogas. The author created a model for determining the COP and ECOP of a triple-effect absorption cooling system. The aim of the author was to determine the potential of using animal waste in the Bursa area to produce cold.

Despite the fact that the contribution does not bring new knowledge in the field of thermodynamics and the use of renewable energy sources, I decided to recommend the article for publication, mainly because the proposed cooling system has a high potential for being put into operation in the Bursa area and thereby participate in reducing consumption of energy produced from fossil fuels.

I recommend for publication.