The impact of work input to sorption cyclesImpact de l'apport en énergie sur les cycles à sorption

In recent years the interest in cooling machines or heat pumps combining the principles of compression and sorption technology is increasing. The reason is that both technologies have specific drawbacks which can be overcome by the combination. Our discussion is centred around absorption cycles which use a compressor, and, consequently, an input of a significant amount of mechanical work in addition to heat. In most publications cycles of this kind are discussed in terms of one single COP as usual in the refrigeration industry. This, however, is wrong from a thermodynamic, and misleading from a technical and economical point of view. In order to highlight the need for a strict thermodynamic approach, a fundamental difference between distinct kinds of work input, namely “recoverable work”, “dissipative work” and “heat transformation work” is discussed in the first part of the paper. In the second part it is shown how the input of both work and heat into a energy conversion system has to be handled with both mechanical and thermal COP. The method is thermodynamically sound and straightforward, technically feasible and easy to apply, and most quickly transferred into economical terms. In the third part, a practical example of a compression–absorption hybrid is investigated.     

Review of advanced absorption cycles: performance improvement and temperature lift enhancement

The objective of this study is to propose and evaluate advanced absorption cycles for the coefficient of performance (COP) improvement and temperature lift enhancement applications. The characteristics of each cycle are assessed from the viewpoints of the ideal cycle COP and its applications. The advanced cycles for the COP improvement are categorized according to their heat recovery method: condensation heat recovery, absorption heat recovery, and condensation/absorption heat recovery. In H₂O–LiBr systems, the number of effects and the number of stages can be improved by adding a third or a fourth component to the solution pairs. The performance of NH₃–H₂O systems can be improved by internal heat recovery due to their thermal characteristics such as temperature gliding. NH₃–H₂O cycles can be combined with adsorption cycles and power generation cycles for waste heat utilization, performance improvement, panel heating and low temperature applications. The H₂O–LiBr cycle is better from the high COP viewpoints for the evaporation temperature over 0°C while the NH₃–H₂O cycle is better from the viewpoint of low temperature applications. This study suggests that the cycle performance would be significantly improved by combining the advanced H₂O–LiBr and NH₃–H₂O cycles.     

ABSIM — modular simulation of advanced absorption systems

The computer code ABSIM has been developed for simulation of absorption systems in a flexible and modular form, making it possible to investigate various cycle configurations with different working fluids. Based on a user-supplied cycle diagram, working fluid specification and given operating conditions, the program calculates the temperature, flowrate, concentration, pressure and vapor fraction at each state point in the system and the heat duty at each component. The modular structure of the code is based on unit subroutines containing the governing equations for the system's components. A main program calling these subroutines links the components together according to the cycle diagram. The system of equations for the entire cycle is thus established, and a mathematical solver routine is employed to solve them simultaneously. Property subroutines contained in a separate database serve to provide thermodynamic properties of the working fluids.ABSIM has been employed over the past decade by many users worldwide to simulate a variety of absorption systems in different multi-effect configurations and working fluids. The paper will describe the current capabilities of the program and recent improvements made in it. Improvements to the method of cycle specification and solution have enhanced considerably the convergence capability with large and complex cycles. Additional units and working fluids have been added, resulting in much-enhanced simulation capability and applicability. A Windows version has recently been developed with an improved user-interface, which enhances user-friendliness considerably. It makes it possible to create the cycle diagram on the computer screen, supply the data interactively, observe the results superimposed on the cycle diagram and plot them. The paper describes examples of simulation results for several rather complex cycles, including lithium bromide–water double-, triple- and quadruple-effect cycles and ammonia–water GAX, branched GAX and vapor exchange (VX) cycles.     

A novel hybrid absorption–compression refrigeration cycle

When used in traditional pool-boiling type refrigeration cycles, non-azeotropic mixed refrigerants tend to result in a reduced efficiency compared to pure refrigerants. This results from the composition shift effect, which distributes the mixture components: concentrating the more volatile component in the high pressure part of the cycle, and the less volatile component in the low pressure part. The obvious effect of this is to increase the compression ratio relative to a single component. This article investigates a way of manipulating the composition change of a refrigerant mixture, using two components of similar volatility, in order to reduce the compression ratio. Counter-current vapour–liquid contact is used in a “refrigeration column”, which is combined with a distillation column. The cycle is able to exploit heat sources below 100°C as input to the distillation column and the designer is able to optimise the consumption of compressor power and distillation heat input.     

A phenomenological theory of polycomponent interactions in non-ideal mixtures. Application to NH3/H2O and other working pairsInteractions entre les composants de mélanges non-idéaux : théorie et application au fluide actif NH3 / H2O et à d'autres fluides actifs

The paper proposes an original linear phenomenological theory (Ph T) of evolution physical mono-, bi- and particular polycomponent gas–liquid interactions with non-ideal mixture. The expressions of the phenomenological factors (entropy source, force, coefficient and coupled heat and mass transfer currents) are deduced. The theory is particularized to the NH₃/H₂O and other gas–liquid systems used in the thermal absorption technology. The work's conclusions are listed next. The paper raises the problem of ammonia bubble absorption which is difficult to answer with current theory of interface mass transfer and absorption as a surface phenomenon. The heat and mass transfer at the gas–liquid interface is governed by the thermodynamic force, which applies also to solid–liquid, solid–gas, or liquid–liquid, gas–gas type interactions and continuous or discontinuous media. The paper mentions a postulate referring to the force behavior approaching an ideal point, previously formulated by the author. According to its consequence, the mass and heat currents suffer an ideal point approaching (i.p.a.) effect, not mentioned so far in the specialized literature, consisting in a continuous increase of their absolute value by several percent (for a pure component), to several hundred times (for a binary system) when the interacting system approaches an ideal state, as compared to the values of states which are far from the same ideal point. In this way, “far from equilibrium” becomes synonymous to “low interaction”. The classic assessment of the interface mass transfer by analogy with heat transfer lacks basic physics. The (Ph T) satisfactorily explains the problem of ammonia bubble absorption. Absorption is a mass phenomenon, not a surface one. An intensive way of improving absorption is emphasized, which seeks to promote the i.p.a. effect appearance rather than the extensive way currently used, based on increasing gas–liquid interaction area. To this extent, the bubble absorber is hereby proposed for efficient absorption. The i.p.a. effect existence offers an additional chance for a satisfactory explanation of the Marangoni effect.     

Performance research of self regenerated absorption heat transformer cycle using TFE-NMP as working fluids

A heat transformer is proposed in order to upgrade low-temperature-level energy to a higher level and to recover more energy in low-temperature-level waste heat. It is difficult to achieve both purposes at the same time using a conventional heat transformer cycle and classical working pairs, such as H₂O–LiBr and HN₃–H₂O. The new organic working pair, 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE)-N-methylpyrolidone (NMP), has some advantages compared with H₂O–LiBr and NH₃–H₂O. One of the most important features is the wide working range as a result of the absence of crystallization, the low working pressure, the low freezing temperature of the refrigerant and the good thermal stability of the mixtures at high temperatures. Meanwhile, it has some negative features like NH₃–H₂O. For example, there is a lower boiling temperature difference between TFE and NMP, so a rectifier is needed in refrigeration and heat pump systems. Because TFE–NMP has a wide working range and does not cause crystallization, it can be used as the working pair in the self regenerated absorption heat transformer (SRAHT) cycle. In fact, the SRAHT cycle is the generator–absorber heat exchanger (GAX) cycle applied in a heat transformer cycle. In this paper, the SRAHT cycle and its flow diagram are shown and the computing models of the SRAHT cycle are presented. Thermal calculations of the SRAHT cycle under summer and winter season conditions have been worked out. From the results of the thermal calculations, it can be found that there is a larger temperature drop when the waste hot water flows through the generator and the evaporator in the SRAHT cycle but the heating temperature can be kept the same. That means more energy in the waste heat source can be recovered by the SRAHT cycle.     

A contribution to the evaluation of the economic perspectives of absorption chillers: Contribution à l'évaluation des perspectives économiques des refroidisseurs à adsorption

The development of new working pairs and cycles extends the field of application of absorption systems with corresponding environmental benefits. The performance of standard cycles can be enhanced, e.g. by multi-staging. For each application the suitable working pair and cycle can be chosen regarding thermodynamical and economical aspects. Still, the performance strongly depends on the given external conditions. In this paper, basic thermodynamic constraints stemming from those conditions and valid for all sorption cycles are derived using the concept of endo-reversibility. Fundamental economic conclusions can be drawn. Subsequently, real machines are analysed. A comparison with manufacturers data and experimental data is made. The working pairs lithium bromide/water and binary hydroxide solution/water are discussed.     

Extended temperature–entropy (T–s) diagrams for aqueous lithium bromide absorption refrigeration cycles

Temperature–entropy (T–s) diagrams have the unique capability of being able to quantify processes in terms of both the first and second laws of thermodynamics. Although use of generalised T–s diagrams has been made to indicate or represent generalised absorption cycles, with the exception for NH₃/water systems, these diagrams have not been specifically tailored to scale to quantify LiBr/water systems. The main barrier for this is that the diagram needs to represent the necessary properties of both the refrigerant (water) and of the solution (LiBr/water). This paper describes the use of the T–s diagram of water extended with additional curves to represent real and ideal LiBr/water absorption cycles. An explanation is provided on several methods available, including details of the thermodynamic justification of the method that was used, to construct the extended diagrams. Finally, the extended T–s diagram is provided with the representation of a real single-effect LiBr/water absorption refrigeration cycle. This should prove to be a valuable tool for design and research engineers to study and optimise LiBr/water chillers.     

Performance of diffusion absorption refrigeration cycle with organic working fluids

A diffusion absorption refrigeration (DAR) cycle is driven by heat and utilizes a binary solution of refrigerant and absorbent as working fluid, together with an auxiliary inert gas. Commercial DAR systems operate with ammonia–water solution and hydrogen or helium as the inert gas. In this work, the performance of a simplified DAR system working with an organic absorbent (DMAC – dimethylacetamide) and five different refrigerants and helium as inert gas was examined numerically, with the aim of lowering the generator temperature and system pressure along with a non-toxic refrigerant The refrigerants were: chlorodifluoromethane (R22), difluoromethane (R32), 2-chloro-1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (R124), pentafluoroethane (R125) and 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (R134a). The results were compared with the performance of the same system working with ammonia–water and helium. Similar behavior was found for all systems, regarding the coefficient of performance (COP) and rich and poor solution concentrations as functions of generator temperature. It was found that typical generator temperature with the new substances was 150 °C, yet lower COPs, higher evaporator temperatures and lower condensation temperature of about 40 °C governed these systems.     

Methodology for thermal design of novel combined refrigeration/power binary fluid systems

Refrigeration cogeneration systems which generate power alongside with cooling improve energy utilization significantly, because such systems offer a more reasonable arrangement of energy and exergy “flows” within the system, which results in lower fuel consumption as compared to the separate generation of power and cooling or heating. This paper proposes several novel systems of that type, based on ammonia–water working fluid. Importantly, general principles for integration of refrigeration and power systems to produce better energy and exergy efficiencies are summarized, based primarily on the reduction of exergy destruction. The proposed plants analyzed here operate in a fully-integrated combined cycle mode with ammonia–water Rankine cycle(s) and an ammonia refrigeration cycle, interconnected by absorption, separation and heat transfer processes. It was found that the cogeneration systems have good performance, with energy and exergy efficiencies of 28% and 55–60%, respectively, for the base-case studied (at maximum heat input temperature of 450 °C). That efficiency is, by itself, excellent for cogeneration cycles using heat sources at these temperatures, with the exergy efficiency comparable to that of nuclear power plants. When using exhaust heat from topping gas turbine power plants, the total plant energy efficiency can rise to the remarkable value of about 57%. The hardware proposed for use is conventional and commercially available; no hardware additional to that needed in conventional power and absorption cycles is needed.     

Amélioration de la performance des machines frigorifiques á absorption par l'utilisation de cycles à absorption et désorption étagésPerformance improvement of absorption cooling systems by using staged absorption and desorption cycles

This study deals with staged absorption and desorption cooling systems which increase the performance of absorption cycles that are driven by only low-grade energy, particularly when the working fluids are NH₃---H₂0. Instead of working with only one absorber, these systems use a cascade of absorbers composed by one operating at the evaporator pressure, followed by a series of absorbers operating at staged pressures P_j, between P_ev and P_c In the same way, a cascade of generators is used for desorption. For the same operating parameters for other equipment and the same COP, the systems that we propose permit the generators to run at temperatures below those of all other systems offered up to now and using the same working fluids. When T_ev = −10°C, T_a = T_c = 30°C, the temperature of the generators can be as low as 65°C while the COP of the system is 0.258 and the COP_ex 0.317. By increasing the temperature of generators to 85°C while maintaining the other parameters at the same values, COP becomes 0.374 and the COP,, 0.336. These results improve the performance of absorption systems using only low-grade energy (T < 100°C). Particularly, they are better than the performance of two-stage absorption systems which consist of two single-stage absorption cycles coupled with each other through the evaporator of the first cycle and the absorber of the second cycle. With the same operating parameters indicated above for our system at the evaporator, the condenser, and the absorber, these coupled cycles need temperatures at generators of 80 and 100°C, whereas they give a COP of only 0.270     

Experimental investigation on the performance of NH3/CO2 cascade refrigeration system with twin-screw compressor

This paper describes the experiment carried out to analyze the performance of a refrigeration system in cascade with ammonia and carbon dioxide as working fluids. The effect of operation parameters, such as the evaporating temperature of the low temperature cycle, the condensing temperature of low temperature cycle, temperature difference in cascade heat exchanger and superheat degree, on the system performance was investigated. Performance of the cascade system with NH₃/CO₂ was compared with that of two-stage NH₃ system and single-stage NH₃ system with or without economizer. It was found that the COP of the cascade system is the best among all the systems, when the evaporating temperature is below −40 °C. Also, the cascade system performance is greatly affected by evaporating temperature, condensing temperature of low temperature cycle, temperature difference in cascade heat exchanger and is only slightly sensitive to superheat degree. All the experimental results indicate that the NH₃/CO₂ cascade system is very competitive in low temperature applications.     

Evaluation of metal hydride machines for heat pumping and cooling applications: Evaluation des machines à hydrure métallique dans les applications de pompes à chaleur et de refroidissement

Three different schemes of metal hydride solid sorption devices for heat pumping and cooling applications are presented and compared based on theoretical evaluations. Key parameters obtained from experimental and simulation results from coupled metal hydride reaction beds have been used for the theoretical evaluation. The single (HS) and double stage (HD) devices show reasonable performances, but they require many moving parts. Using high performance reaction beds, e.g. a capillary tube bundle reaction bed, cycle times of about 5–10 min can be obtained with these devices. This corresponds to a specific power output of 100–200 W kg⁻¹ (HS) or 150–300 W kg⁻¹ (HD), referred to the total hydride inventory of the machine. The multi-hydride-thermal-wave (HW) system has a lower specific power output, but it offers significant advantages like modest hardware effort, low pumping power and a very wide operating temperature range.     

Heat transfer enhancement by Marangoni convection in the NH3–H2O absorption process

The objectives of this paper are to quantify the effect of Marangini convection on the absorption performance for the ammonia–water absorption process, and to visualize Marangoni convection that is induced by adding a heat transfer additive, n-octanol. A real-time single-wavelength holographic interferometer is used for the visualization using a He–Ne gas laser. The interface temperature is always the highest due to the absorption heat release near the interface. It was found that the thermal boundary layer (TBL) increased faster than the diffusion boundary layer (DBL), and the DBL thickness increased by adding the heat transfer additive. At 5 s after absorption started, the DBL thickness for 5 mass% NH₃ without and with the heat transfer additive was 3.0 and 4.5 mm, respectively. Marangoni convection was observed near the interface only in the cases with heat transfer additive. The Marangoni convection was very strong just after the absorption started and it weakened as time elapsed. It was concluded that the absorption performance could be improved by increasing the absorption driving potential (x_vb−x_vi) and by increasing the heat transfer additive concentration. The absorption heat transfer was enhanced as high as 3.0–4.6 times by adding the heat transfer additive that generated Marangoni convection.     

A 1-D analysis of ejector performanceAnalyse unidimensionnelle de la performance d'un éjecteur

A 1-D analysis for the prediction of ejector performance at critical-mode operation is carried out in the present study. Constant-pressure mixing is assumed to occur inside the constant-area section of the ejector and the entrained flow at choking condition is analyzed. We also carried out an experiment using 11 ejectors and R141b as the working fluid to verify the analytical results. The test results are used to determine the coefficients, η_p, η_s, φ_p and φ_m defined in the 1-D model by matching the test data with the analytical results. It is shown that the1-D analysis using the empirical coefficients can accurately predict the performance of the ejectors.     

A general thermodynamic framework for understanding the behaviour of absorption chillersCadre thermodynamique facilitant la compréhension du comportement des refroidisseurs à absorption

In this article, a general definition of the process average temperature has been developed, and the impact of the various dissipative mechanisms on 1/COP of the chiller evaluated. The present component-by-component black box analysis removes the assumptions regarding the generator outlet temperature(s) and the component effective thermal conductances. Mass transfer resistance is also incorporated into the absorber analysis to arrive at a more realistic upper limit to the cooling capacity. Finally, the theoretical foundation for the absorption chiller T–s diagram is derived. This diagrammatic approach only requires the inlet and outlet conditions of the chiller components and can be employed as a practical tool for system analysis and comparison.     

Supersonic two-phase flow of CO2 through converging–diverging nozzles for the ejector refrigeration cycle

CO₂ is environmentally friendly, safe and more suitable to ejector refrigeration cycle than to vapor compression cycle. Supersonic two-phase flow of CO₂ in the diverging sections of rectangular converging–diverging nozzles was investigated. The divergence angles with significant variation of decompression were 0.076°, 0.153°, 0.306° and 0.612°. This paper presents experimental decompression phenomena which can be used in designing nozzles and an assessment of Isentropic Homogeneous Equilibrium (IHE). Inlet conditions around 6–9 MPa, 20–37 °C were used to resemble ejector nozzles of coolers and heat pumps. For inlet temperature around 37 °C, throat decompression boiling from the saturated liquid line, supersonic decompression and IHE solution were obtained for the two large divergence angles. For divergence angles larger than 0.306°, decompression curves for inlet temperature above 35 °C approached IHE curves. For divergence angles smaller than 0.306° or for nozzles with inlet temperature below 35 °C, IHE had no solution.     

Experimental correlation of combined heat and mass transfer for NH3–H2O falling film absorptionCorrélation expérimentale entre le transfert de chaleur et de masse pour de l'absorption au NH3–H2O à film tombant

In this article, experimental analysis was performed for ammonia–water falling film absorption process in a plate heat exchanger with enhanced surfaces such as offset strip fin. This article examined the effects of liquid and vapor flow characteristics, inlet subcooling of the liquid flow and inlet concentration difference on heat and mass transfer performance. The inlet liquid concentration was selected as 5%, 10% and 15% of ammonia by mass while the inlet vapor concentration was varied from 64.7% to 79.7%. It was found that before absorption started, there was a rectification process at the top of the test section by the inlet subcooling effect. Water desorption phenomenon was found near the bottom of the test section. It was found that the lower inlet liquid temperature and the higher inlet vapor temperature, the higher Nusselt and Sherwood numbers are obtained. Nusselt and Sherwood number correlations were developed as functions of falling film Reynolds Re₁, vapor Reynolds number Re_v, inlet subcooling and inlet concentration difference with ±15% and ±20% error bands, respectively.     

Blends of carbon dioxide and HFCs as working fluids for the low-temperature circuit in cascade refrigerating systems

This paper describes an analysis on the performances of a cascade refrigeration cycle operated with blends of carbon dioxide (CO₂, or R744) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) as the low-temperature working fluid. The aim of this work was to study the possibility of using carbon dioxide mixtures in those applications where temperatures below CO₂ triple point (216.58 K) are needed. The analysis was carried out by developing a software based on the Carnahan–Starling–De Santis (CSD) equation of state (EoS) using binary interaction parameters derived from our experimental data. The properties of the investigated blends (R744/R125, R744/R41, R744/R32, R744/R23) were used to simulate the behavior of a cascade cycle using ammonia (R717) as the high-temperature-circuit working fluid and operating at evaporating temperatures down to −70 °C. The use of a suction–liquid heat exchanger on the low-temperature side of the circuit was also investigated. Results show that the R744 blends are an attractive option for the low-temperature circuit of cascade systems operating at temperatures approaching 200 K.     

Carbon dioxide as a working fluid in drying heat pumpsLe dioxyde de carbone comme fluide actif dans des séchoirs à pompe à chaleur

Carbon dioxide as a working fluid in refrigeration and heat pump systems is increasingly important in view of the CFC substitution problem. It is both under ecological and economical aspects an attractive alternative to the HFC working fluids at present in practical use. The thermophysical properties and characteristics of carbon dioxide are quite different from those of refrigerants used in conventional vapour compression cycles. Its application in conventional vapour compression refrigerating systems is limited by its critical parameters (t_c=31.1°C and p_c=73.8 bar). The possibility to use carbon dioxide also beyond these limits in high temperature processes, e.g. heat pumps, is given by the application of a trans-critical process. The design and construction of a commercial drying heat pump system (batch type cabinet dryer with 12 kW heating capacity and closed air circuit) using the natural working fluid carbon dioxide is shown and experimental results of investigations carried out are presented. Energy savings are given compared to manufacturer's data of energy consumption.