30-10-2017

Vapour Absorption System

Dr. M. Shaukat Ali

MED, SNIST, Hyderabad, India

Vapour Absorption System

Introduction
A vapour absorption system utilises the low grade form of heat energy to
produce cold.
Whereas, a mechanical vapour compression system needs work energy lo
produce cold which is high grade form of energy and expensive to produce.

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Vapour Absorption System

Simple Vapour Absorption System

Vapour Absorption System

Simple Vapour Absorption System ..
In a simple vapour absorption systems ammonia is used as refrigerant and
water is used as absorbent.
It should be noted that solubility of ammonia in water at low pressures and
temperatures is higher than it is at high pressures and temperatures.
Generator is provided with a heating arrangement and its contains strong aqua
ammonia solution under pressure.
When the heat is supplied, as much as 88% of dissolved ammonia is driven out
as vapour and leaves behind a hot weak solution of NH3 in the generator.
High pressure NH3 vapour from generator is passed to the condenser where it is
condensed and the ammonia liquid thus obtained is throttled down up to
evaporator pressure in the control device (expansion valve).
Partially evaporated ammonia vapour from expansion valve is passed through
the evaporator coil to produce the required refrigeration effect and from
evaporator, the low Pressure NH3 vapour is let into the water cooled absorber.
This vapour is allowed to be mixed and absorbed in the absorber with the weak
solution of aqua ammonia flowing from the generator under gravity via
pressure reducing valve.

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Vapour Absorption System

Simple Vapour Absorption System ..
The cooling water used in the absorber keeps the solution as cool as possible so
that it can absorb a maximum quantity of ammonia vapour.
The resulting strong aqua solution at low pressure from absorber is pumped by
an aqua pump to the generator.
It should be noted that the energy requirement for absorption system is heat
energy in the generator.
This heat energy can be supplied by burning kerosene or solar energy or waste
heat from process industry in case of industrial application.
Further, the work energy is only required to drive the aqua pump in this system
which is extremely small as compared to vapour compression cycle since the
aqua pump handles the liquid as against the refrigerant vapour of high specific
volume.

Vapour Absorption System

Practical Ammonia-Water Absorption Refrigeration System

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Vapour Absorption System

Practical Ammonia-Water Vapour Absorption System ..
The simple absorption system will not be economical unless its performance is
improved by including additional components like an analyzer, a rectifier, and two
heat exchangers.
Analyzer:
Ammonia vapour leaving the generator may contain water vapour which will be
condensed in the condenser.
The condensed water may freeze in the expansion valve and choke the flow.
An analyzer removes the moisture from the NH3 vapour leaving the generator.
It consists of a series of trays mounted over the generator and it acts as open type
heat exchanger.
High pressure strong aqua solution form the absorber via aqua heat exchanger
along with the condensate removed in rectifier flows downwards over the trays and
it cools the hot rising ammonia vapour from the generator.
Therefore, most of the water vapour gets condensed and drips back into generator.
This method also helps in removing a part of the total heat energy from the NH3
vapour which otherwise would have been rejected in the condenser.

Vapour Absorption System

Practical Ammonia-Water Vapour Absorption System ..
Rectifier:
A rectifier is a water cooled closed cooler.
It helps in condensing the last traces of water vapour which would not have been
removed by the analyzer.
This unit ensures that only anhydrous ammonia (i.e. dry ammonia) reaches the
condenser.

Aqua heat exchanger:

In this heat exchanger the strong but cold aqua solution being pumped back from
the absorber into the generator is brought in contact with the weak but hot aqua
solution flowing out of the generator.
Thus the strong solution gets heated while the weak solution gets cooled. It helps in
reducing the heat to be supplied to the generator and cooling to be provided in
the absorber.

Liquid-vapour heat exchanger:

It helps in reducing the temperature of the liquid ammonia approaching the
expansion valve so that an increased refrigerating effect is obtained in the
evaporator.

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Vapour Absorption Vs. Vapour Compression

Vapour Absorption System Vapour Compression System

1. It uses low grade heat energy, therefore, it 1. It uses high grade work energy, therefore,
can operator on waste heat. it needs electrical energy for its operation.
2. It has only liquid pump as moving part, 2. It has compressor and motor. Therefore, it
hence, it is quiet in operation. is more noisy in operation.
3. Wear and tear is less. 3. Wear and tear is high.
4. It has low C.O.P. 4. It has high C.O.P.
5. Charging of refrigerant is difficult. 5. Charging of refrigerant is simple.
6. Possibility of leakage of refrigerant is low. 6. Possibility of leakage of refrigerant is more.
7. Reduced loads have no effect on its 7. Performance is adversely affected on part
performance. loads.
8. Liquid traces in the refrigerant at exit of 8. Liquid traces in the suction line may
evaporator is not harmful to any component. damage the compressor.
9. It can be located outdoor without shelter. 9. It cannot be located outside without
shelter
10. It is bulky. 10. It is less bulky.
11. It is suitable for large air conditioning 11. It is suitable for domestic appliances and
plants. also for air conditioning purposes.

Vapour Absorption System

COP of an Ideal Vapour Absorption System

Refrigerating Effect
COP =
Work supplied to the aqua pump + Heat energy supplied to generator

=
Qe Q
= e (neglecting pump work as W p << Q g )
Wg + Q p Q g

Assumptions:
- Heat transfers are reversible.
- Thee are no other heat transfers except considered.
- Pump work, W, is neglected since it is negligible compared to heat transfer in generator, Qg.

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Vapour Absorption System

COP of the Vapour Absorption System ..
According to first law of thermodynamics,
Qg + Qe = Qc (neglecting pump work)

Since the system is considered reversible, hence entropy of the system will remain
constant, i.e.,

Qg Qe Qc Qg +Qe Qe Q/ e
+ = = COP max = =
Tg Te Tc Tc Qg T Tc T g
Q/ e e

1 1 1 1 Te T c T g
Qg = Q e
T T e Tc T g
g Tc T c Te COP max =

T Tg Te Tc T g
Qg c = Q e Te Tc
T .T/ T/ .T = COP carnot carnot
g c c e
T Tc T g
Q g = Q e e

Te Tc T g

Vapour Absorption System

Water-Lithium Bromide (H2O - LiBr) Absorption Refrigeration System
Main components :
(1) Generator
(2) Heat exchanger
(3) Absorber
(4) Solution pump
(5) Evaporator pump
(6) Condenser
(7) Evaporator

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Vapour Absorption System

Water-Lithium Bromide (H2O - LiBr) Absorption Refrigeration System .

In a LiBr absorption system, LiBr being highly hydroscopic salt is used as an

absorbent and water is used as refrigerant.
H2O-LiBr mixture in absorption system is only used for air-conditioning
applications since water freezes at 0C.
If both LiBr and water are kept in a closed evacuated vessel, the pure water
will only evaporate because of very low boiling temperatures at vacuum
pressures in a generator leaving behind LiBr salt.
For this reason, this absorption system does not need analyzer and rectifier
as needed In NH3-water absorptions system.

Vapour Absorption System

Water-Lithium Bromide (H2O - LiBr) Absorption Refrigeration System ..
The working of the system is as follows:
Generator and condenser are located in high pressure vessel and the
evaporator and absorber are located in low pressure vessel.
Weak LiBr solution from absorber is circulated by the solution pump to
generator through the heat exchanger.
This weak solution absorbs heat from hot strong LiBr solution passed through
the heat exchanger. It reduces the energy requirement in the generator.
Weak LiBr solution is heated by steam or hot liquid circulated in heating coil.
As a result, the water refrigerant from weak solution is converted into water
vapour leaving behind the strong solution of lithium bromide in generator.
The water vapour refrigerant is condensed by the water circulated from
cooling pond which condenses the water vapour formed. The condensed
water vapour refrigerant from condenser at high pressure flows down from
condenser.
Its pressure is reduced in the pressure reducing value up to evaporator
pressure.

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Vapour Absorption System

Water-Lithium Bromide (H2O - LiBr) Absorption Refrigeration System ..

This cooled water is sprayed by an evaporator pump where it absorbs its latent
heat of vaporization from hot water circulated from air-conditioned space in
chilled water tubes.
During the process, the hot water gives away heat and is converted into chilled
water, thereby, produces the required refrigeration load for air-conditioning
purposes and the sprayed cool water is convened into water vapour.
This water vapour is absorbed by the strong LiBr solution sprayed in the absorber
and it is converted into weak LiBr solution.

Vapour Absorption System

Water-Lithium Bromide (H2O - LiBr) Absorption Refrigeration System
Advantages of the LiBr absorption system:
(1) Pressure inside the system is below atmosphere, therefore, system is light in
weight and there is no danger of bursting, toxication etc.
(2) Since water is used as refrigerant and being non-toxic, it can be directly used for
chilled coil for the air-conditioning.
(3) The work energy requirements are negligible since the pressure difference
between generator and evaporator is very small. Even this pumps can be
eliminated in the system using the gravity feed by adjusting the elevation of
generator, absorber and evaporator.
(4) AC Plants up to 1 Lakh TR capacity can be built.
(5) Operation and maintenance cost is very low.

Disadvantages of the LiBr absorption system:

(1) LiBr solution is corrosive, therefore, inhibitors should be added to protect metal
parts against corrosion.
(2) All joints have to be made leak proof to prevent leakages since the system works
under vacuum.

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Vapour Absorption System

Electrolux Refrigerator

Vapour Absorption System

Electrolux Refrigerator .
Electrolux principle works on 3-fluid system. (NH3-H2O system with H2 as the third fluid).
No solution circulation pump, and flow of fluids are achieved by convection currents.
Total pressure is the same throughout the system.
The third fluid (H2) remains mainly in the evaporator thus reducing partial pressure of
refrigerant in the evaporator to enable it to evaporate at low pressure and hence low
temperature.
Liquid NH3 evaporates in the evaporator in the presence of H2.
Hydrogen is chosen as it is non-corrosive and insoluble in water.
A thermosyphon bubble pump is used to lift the weak aqua from the generator to the
separator.
The discharge tube from the generator is extended down below the liquid level in the
generator. The bubbles of NH3 vapour rises and carry slugs of weak NH3-H2O solution
into the separator.
Two U-bends are provided as vapour-locks to prevent H2, from getting into the high side
or solution circuit.
Partial pressure of H2 provides the pressure difference of NH3 between the condenser
and the evaporator.

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Vapour Absorption System

Electrolux Refrigerator
Advantages:
No pump or compressor is required.
No mechanical troubles, hence maintenance cost is low.
No lubrication problem, hence no wear and tear.
Completely leak proof.
Noiseless.
No chance of pressure unbalancing and no need of valves.
System may be designed to use any available source of thermal energy namely
process steam, exhaust from engines or turbines, solar energy etc.
Easy control, simply by controlling heat input.

Disadvantages:
More complicated in construction and working.
COP very low.
The major disadvantages of this type of refrigerator are that if it is spoiled
once, it cannot be repaired and has to be replaced fully.

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