Absorption Refrigeration

Figures from Refrigeration and Air Conditioning,

by Stoecker and Jones, and Thermodynamics: An
Engineering Approach, by Çengel and Boles

Absorption Refrigeration

Developed by a Frenchman, Ferdinand Carré, and brought
to the US during the Civil War when the North cut off the
supply of natural ice from the South.

Heat-driven system: work input is very low, but a larger
heat input is required

More expensive and complex, larger, less efficient than
vapor-compression systems

Used when unit cost of heat (thermal energy) is low or
thermal energy is available that would otherwise be wasted

Used primarily in large commercial and industrial
applications

May include a secondary loop for safety reasons and for
ease and cost of set-up

1
 Absorption Cycle

Compressor is replaced with a more
complex system

The Basic Absorption Unit

2
 Steps of Absorption Cycle

Low pressure vapor from evaporator is absorbed
by liquid solution in absorber.

This process is exothermic. If heat weren’t
removed, the temp would rise and absorption
would cease.

Absorber is cooled by water or air.

Low pressure liquid is pumped to a higher
pressure and enters the generator.

Heat from a high temp source drives the vapor out
of the liquid.

Steps of Absorption Cycle, cont.

The liquid returns to the absorber through a
throttling valve, returning to a low pressure.

The high-pressure vapor is sent to a
condenser, expansion valve, and then the
evaporator.

3
Refrigerants & Transport Media

Refrigerants pass through the condenser &
evaporator section.

Transport media remain in the absorption section.

Most common: ammonia-water systems, where
ammonia is the refrigerant

Others: water-lithium bromide and water-lithium
chloride where water is the refrigerant
– Minimum temp must be above the freezing point of
water

Ammonia-Water System

4
 Ammonia-Water System

Ammonia vapor passes through the condenser,
expansion valve, and evaporator.

In the absorber it reacts with and is absorbed by
the water in an exothermic reaction. Heat is
removed with cooling water.

Solution is pumped to the regenerator, increasing
the pressure.

Heat is added in the regenerator, and ammonia and
a little water vaporizes.

Ammonia and water vapor are separated in the
rectifier. Ammonia goes to the condenser & water
is returned to the regenerator.

Ammonia-Water System, cont.

Hot liquid solution goes through a
regenerator, where some heat is transferred
to the liquid leaving the pump.

The now somewhat cooler liquid goes
through an expansion valve, taking it to a
lower pressure and temperature

5
 Coefficient of Performance
refrigeration rate Q
COP = = L
rate of heat addition Qgen

Note that the definition of COP for an
absorption system is different from a vapor-
compression system, so direct comparisons
shouldn’t be made.

Typical value: 0.6 (3 is a typical value for a
vapor-compression system)