Simulationof Simple Abs System

Simulation of a simple absorption refrigeration system
Khalid A. Joudi
*
, Ali H. Lafta
Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Baghdad University, Baghdad, Iraq
Received 5 June 2000; accepted 15 November 2000
Abstract
A steady state computer simulation model has been developed to predict the performance of an ab-
sorption refrigeration system using LiBrH
2
O as a working pair. The model is based on detailed mass and
energy balances and heat and mass transfer relationships for the cycle components. A computer program
has been developed to simulate the eect of various operating conditions on the performance of the in-
dividual components of the simulated system. These include an absorber, a generator, a condenser, an
evaporator and a liquid heat exchanger. A new model is introduced for representing the absorber. Si-
multaneous heat and mass transfer has been considered in the absorber, instead of heat transfer only as in
other works. The performance of absorber, generator, condenser and evaporator were simulated inde-
pendently. The whole system was then simulated as a working absorption cycle under various operating
conditions. Comparison between the present model results and manufacturers data of the simulated system
showed excellent agreement. The present simulation results were compared qualitatively with other works
and were in very good general agreement. 2001 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.
Keywords: Absorption system simulation; LiBr absorption system simulation; Absorption refrigeration system
simulation
1. Introduction
The absorption refrigeration system is one of the earliest methods of producing cold. It has
most commonly been used for refrigeration and air conditioning [1]. Theoretical and experimental
studies of the performance of absorption refrigeration cycles, including those using LiBrH
2
O and
NH
3
H
2
O as refrigerantabsorbent combinations, have already been reported by various authors.
Picher [2] tested a 1000 TR capacity LiBrH
2
O absorption refrigeration machine of a two shell
type. It was shown that the machine can operate with hot water at 80C and 120C, and it was
Energy Conversion and Management 42 (2001) 15751605
www.elsevier.com/locate/enconman
*
Corresponding author.
0196-8904/01/$ - see front matter 2001 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.
PII: S0196- 8904( 00) 00155- 2
Nomenclature
A surface area (m
2
)
Bi Biot number H
cw
d
s
=K
so
c
P
specic heat capacity at constant pressure (kJ/kg C)
D diameter (m)
D
s
mass diusivity of solution (m
2
/s)
F
c
heat transfer correction factor
FR ow ratio
g gravitational acceleration (9.81) (m/s
2
)
Gz Graetz number xa
so
=C
s
d
s
h specic enthalpy (kJ/kg)
Dh heat of absorption h
v
h
so
1 w
o
/
w
(kJ/kg)
h
fg
latent heat of vaporization (kJ/kg)
H heat transfer coecient (kW/m
2
C)
k thermal conductivity (kW/mC]
k
m
mass transfer coecient (m/s)
L length (m)
Le Lewis number D
s
=a
so
L
p
length of pass (m)
_ m mass ow rate (kg/s)
m, n number
MDC manufacturer design curve
N number of tubes
N
h
number of tubes for one pass in horizontal direction
N
p
number of tube passes
Nu Nusselt number HD=k
N
v
number of tubes for one pass in vertical direction
P pressure (kPa)
Pr Prandtl number lc
P
=k
_ q heat ow per unit length (kW/m)
Q total heat (kW)
R thermal resistance (m
2
C/kW)
Re Reynolds number based on D
i
, 4 _ m=pND
i
l
RF fouling factor (m
2
C/kW)
Sh Sherwood number k
m
d
s
=D
s
T temperature (C)
DT
m
logarithmic mean temperature dierence (C)
U overall heat transfer coecient (kW/m
2
C)
w mass fraction of water in solution (kg/kg)
w average mass fraction (kg/kg)
x coordinate along wall plate (m)
X LiBr concentration, percent by weight in solution (%)
1576 K.A. Joudi, A.H. Lafta / Energy Conversion and Management 42 (2001) 15751605
y coordinate perpendicular to wall plate (m)
Dy step size in y direction (m)
Greek
c dimensionless mass fraction w w
o
=w
e
W
o
c average dimensionless mass fraction

C volume flow rate per wetted length _ m=q (m
2
/s)
d
s
solution lm thickness 3m
so
C
s
=g (m)
g heat exchanger eectiveness
h dimensionless temperature T T
o
=T
e
T
o
h average dimensionless temperature

K dimensionless heat of absorption q
so
D
s
Dh=1 w
o
k
so
C
1
l dynamic viscosity (Pa s)
m kinematic viscosity l=q (m
2
/s)
q density (kg/m
3
)
r surface tension (N/m)
/
w
derivative of h with respect to w at constant T, oh=ow (kJ/kg)
a thermal diffusivity k=qc
P
(m
2
/s)
Subscripts
1,2,... state points, or, sequence number
a absorber
av average
c condenser
cw cooling water
e equilibrium, or evaporator
g generator
i interface, or (inside)
i, j, k sequence index
ia inside absorber tubes
ic inside condenser tubes
ie inside evaporator tubes
ig inside generator tubes
n number
o entrance, or (outside)
oa outside absorber tubes
oc outside evaporator tubes
og outside generator tubes
p pipe
r refrigerant
s solution
so solution properties at T
o
and X
o
v vapor
w wall
K.A. Joudi, A.H. Lafta / Energy Conversion and Management 42 (2001) 15751605 1577
found that the cooling water connected in parallel to both absorber and condenser is more e-
cient than series connection. The coecient of performance (COP) was between 0.68 and 0.72.
Waleed [3] developed a computer program to design heat exchangers for the generator, con-
denser and evaporator and to predict their performance for a 2 TR capacity lithium bromide
absorption machine under working conditions dierent from the design condition.
Eisa et al. [4] presented possible combinations of operating temperatures of the evaporator,
condenser, absorber and generator and the concentration in the absorber and the generator up to
the crystallization limit. This determines the ow ratio and COP for any combination of tem-
peratures. Flow ratio is dened as the ratio of the mass ow rate of the solution from the absorber
to the mass ow rate of the refrigerant.
FR
_ m
a
_ m
r
1
Eisa et al. [5] conducted an experimental study to determine the eect of changes in operating
conditions in order to optimize the performance of the LiBrH
2
O absorption cooler. It was shown
that the most signicant parameter is the generator temperature. The higher the generator tem-
perature, the higher is the COP. The ow ratio is also an important design and optimizing pa-
rameter. An increase in ow ratio reduces the required generator temperature at the expense of a
reduction in the COP. Also, Eisa et al. [6] conducted more experiments on the same system of Ref.
[5] to determine the eect on performance of operating the absorber and the condenser at dierent
temperatures. It was demonstrated that as the temperature dierence T
c
T
a
is increased, the
COP and the cooling capacity are decreased. Also, the COP is more sensitive to the absorber
temperature than to the condenser temperature.
Mclinden and Klein [7] constructed a modular, steady state model for simulation of NH
3
H
2
O
absorption heat pumps. The model was based on detailed mass and energy balances and heat and
mass transfer relationships for the components of the cycle and was applied to a prototype ab-
sorption heat pump and compared with experimental data.
Grossman and Michelson [8] developed a modular computer simulation program for absorp-
tion systems, which makes it possible to simulate various cycle congurations. The program has
been tested on single and double stage absorption heat pumps and heat transformers with LiBr
H
2
O and NH
3
H
2
O as the working uids. The results have been compared with experimental
data from tests of a LiBrH
2
O heat transformer with good agreement.
The present study deals with a continuous absorption refrigeration LiBrH
2
O system. A steady
state simulation is based on mass balance and heat balance equations, as well as uid ow, heat
transfer and mass transfer correlations for each of the components. A new model is introduced for
representing the absorber. Simultaneous heat and mass transfer has been considered in the ab-
sorber instead of heat transfer only, in other works. The model was applied to an actual com-
mercial absorption refrigeration plant manufactured by Mitsubishi-York, model ES-2A4-MW
working on LiBrH
2
O and using hot water as a heat source with a capacity of 211.1 kW re-
frigeration (60 TR) [9]. The computer model was used to simulate this system performance for a
variety of operating conditions.
The simulated absorption refrigeration system consists of four basic components, an absorber,
a generator, a condenser and an evaporator, as shown schematically in Fig. 1. An economizer heat
exchanger, normally placed between the absorber and the generator, makes the process more
ecient without altering its basic operation. Low pressure water vapor from the evaporator is
absorbed in the absorber by the solution. The heat generated during the absorption process is
removed by cooling water. A pump circulates the weak solution, with a portion being sent to the
generator through the solution heat exchanger. The other portion is mixed with the concentrated
solution returning from the generator through the heat exchanger to become an intermediate
solution, which returns to the absorber. In the generator, the solution coming from the absorber is
boiled to release water vapor by heat addition, leaving behind a solution rich with LiBr, which is
returned to the absorber via a throttling valve to maintain the pressure dierential between the
high and low sides of the system. In the condenser, the water vapor coming from the generator is
condensed to liquid. Then, it is passed via an expansion device to the evaporator pressure.
2. Mathematical model
The simulation procedure involves the casting of mathematical models for each component
making up the LiBrH
2
O absorption refrigeration system. The overall system performance may
then be evaluated by combining these models under the normal sequence of operation of the
simulated system. All components of the system were shell and tube exchangers of the counter
ow type.
Fig. 1. Schematic diagram of the simulated absorption refrigeration system.
Several conditions and assumptions were incorporated in the model to simplify analysis
without abscuring the basic physical situation. These conditions and assumptions were as follows:
1. The system is simulated under steady state conditions. That is, the mass ow rate of water va-
por generated in the generator is exactly the same as the rate of water vapor being absorbed in
the absorber.
2. The pressure drop in the pipes and vessels is negligible.
3. The heat losses from the generator to the surroundings and the heat gains to the evaporator
from the surroundings are negligible.
4. The expansion process of the expansion device is at constant enthalpy.
The heat transfer coecient of water for turbulent ow in smooth tubes was calculated ac-
cording to the correlation given by Dittius and Bolter [10]. The pool boiling heat transfer coecient
used for pure water and aqueous solutions (LiBrH
2
O) was that given by Charters et al. [11]. The
condensation heat transfer coecient was evaluated using the Nusselt equation [10]. The evapo-
ration heat transfer coecient employed was that by Lorenz and Yung [12] for lm evaporation
outside tubes. Water properties were derived from the Chemical Engineers Handbook [13], while
the thermodynamic properties of the LiBrH
2
O solution were obtained from Refs. [1,13].
2.1. Absorber
In the absorber, the LiBr solution is sprayed over horizontal tubes cooled by water owing
inside. It absorbs the water vapor coming from the evaporator continuously and ows in a thin lm
around the tubes. Then, it is collected in the bottom of the lower shell. To give a description of the
heat and mass transport from a horizontal tube covered with a liquid lm, the following simpli-
cation is made. The lm ow along one half of the tube is modeled as that along a vertical cooled
wall with a length of half the tube circumference, which is a model suggested by Wassenaar [14,15].
A schematic representation of the model is shown in Fig. 2. On one side of the plate, a solution of
substance A (LiBr) in substance B (water) ows down as a thin laminar lm. At the liquidvapor
interface, the water vapor is absorbed and then transported into the bulk of the lm. The heat of
absorption is released at the interface and transported through the lm and the wall to the cooling
medium (water). The cooling water ows on the other side of the plate in a direction perpendicular
to the plane of the illustration (cross ow). Therefore, the cooling water temperatures may be
assumed constant over the plate height, which is equivalent to assuming a constant circumferential
pipe temperature. The absorber model started with the following assumptions [14]:
1. The liquid is Newtonian and has constant physical properties. The values of the properties are
based on the liquid entry conditions.
2. The lm ow may be considered laminar and one dimensional.
3. Momentum eects and shear stress at the interface are negligible.
4. The absorbed mass ow is small relative to the lm mass ow.
5. At the interface, thermodynamic equilibrium exists between the vapor and liquid. The relation
between surface temperature and mass fraction is linear with constant coecient at constant
pressure.
6. All the heat of absorption is released at the interface.
7. The liquid is a binary mixture and only one of the components is present in the vapor phase.
8. There is no heat transfer from the liquid to vapor and no heat transfer because of radiation,
viscous dissipation, pressure gradients, concentration gradients or gravitational eects.
9. There is no diusion because of pressure gradients, temperature gradients or chemical reac-
tions.
10. Diusion of heat and mass in the ow direction is negligible relative to the diusion perpendic-
ular to it.
Under the above assumptions, the equations of momentum, energy and diusion of mass and
their specic boundary conditions for this situation are represented in four dimensionless com-
bined ordinary dierential equations [14,15]. These equations describe the average mass fraction
of water in the solution w, the average solution temperature T, the heat transfer to the cooling
Fig. 2. Sketch of simplied geometry used in the absorber model.
medium across the plate wall per unit width _ q
w
, and the mass transfer of the water vapor to the
lm per unit width _ m
v
in one innitesimal part of the lm with length dx as shown in Fig. 2. For
simplication, these equations are written in dimensionless form, where they describe the change
of average mass fraction c, the average solution temperature h, heat transfer _ q
w
, and mass transfer
_ m
v
with dimensionless length dGz. They are given in nal form as follows:
dc
dGz
a1 h c 2
dh
dGz
b1 h c ch h
cw
3
d_ q
w
dGz
cc
P so
_ m
s
T
e
T
o
h h
cw
4
d _ m
v
dGz
a _ m
s
w
e
w
o
1 w
o
_ _
1 h c 5
where
a
Le
K
Nu
i
1
Sh
_ _ ; b
1
1
Nu
i
1
KSh
_ _ ; c
1
1
Bi

1
Nu
w
_ _
and h and c are the dimensionless temperature and mass fraction, respectively. T
e
is the equi-
librium solution temperature for the solution at mass fraction w
o
at the chosen absorber (evap-
orator) pressure. w
e
is the equilibrium mass fraction of water in the solution for solution
temperature T
o
at the chosen absorber pressure.
To dene T
e
and w
e
, the relation between the solution temperature and mass fraction is formed,
under assumption 5 above, by a linearization of the thermodynamic equilibrium equation of the
LiBrH
2
O solution at a xed pressure. This equilibrium equation is expressed in the solution
temperature T
s
as a function of the LiBr concentration in the solution X and the vapor pressure P
(or refrigerant temperature T
r
), T
s
f X; P or T
s
f X; T
r
[1]. The relation is
T
s
C
1
w C
2
6a
where
C
1
21:8789 0:58527T
r
6b
C
2
0:0436688 1:407T
r
6c
i.e., the T
e
and w
e
values can be dened from Eq. (6) with the evaporator temperature as the
refrigerant temperature T
r
as follows:
T
e
C
1
w
o
C
2
7
and
w
e

1
C
1
T
o
C
2
8
A good estimate for Nu
i
, Nu
w
and Sh are the expressions found analytically by Ref. [14]. These
numbers are
Nu
i
2:67 9a
Nu
w
1:6 9b
Sh
1
LeGz
_
ln 1
_

6LeGz
p
_
__
; Gz < Gz1 9c
Sh
1
Gz
ln2
Le
_
Gz
_

p
24Le
_
12
p
_
; Gz PGz1 9d
where
Gz1
p
24Le
9e
Eqs. (2)(5) are solved numerically for a unit width of the plate by explicit nite dierences [16]
and lead to
c
i1
c
i
dGz
a1 h
i
c
i
10
h
i1
h
i
dGz
1 h
i
c
i
ch
i
h
cw
11
_ q
wi1
_ q
wi
dGz
c c
P so
_ m
si
T
e
_
T
o
_
h
i
h
cw
12
_ m
si1
_ m
si
dGz
a _ m
si
w
e
w
o
1 w
o
_ _
1 h
i
c
i
13
for 1 6i 6n n number of parts.
In the solution, the length of the plate was divided into 40 equal parts. Each part is represented
by four combined ordinary dierential equations in terms of c
i
, h
i
, _ q
wi
and _ m
si
.
Input variables for each part are: c, h, _ q and _ m
s
. The inputs of the rst part (i 1) are: c
1
0,
h
1
0, _ q
w1
0 and _ m
s1
. The main outputs are: c
2
, h
2
, _ q
w2
and _ m
s2
. Then, these are used as new
inputs to the second part and so on to the end of the plate (c
n
, h
n
, _ q
wn
and _ m
sn
).
Thereafter, the following procedures are applied to determine the solution for the whole ab-
sorber length. Its geometry is described in Fig. 3.
(1) The input conditions to the absorber are the mass ow rate _ m
9
, temperature T
9
, and con-
centration X
9
of the solution, as well as the evaporator temperature T
e
, cooling water temperature
inlet to the absorber T
15
and mass ow rate of the cooling water _ m
15
.
(2) The simulated absorber consisted of multi-passes of tubes N
pa
(4 in this work) with pass
length L
pa
(4.876 m). The four passes were simulated as one long pass with total tube length
equaling 4L
pa
. This simplication eliminates the eect of added pressure drop due to direction
changes in the original 4 pass absorber. The added pressure is thought to be very small and does
not aect the heat transfer and mass transfer calculations. The total length of each tube was
divided into 40 equal sections. Each of the 40 tube sections will have a length equivalent to a plate
width y as shown in Fig. 3
y
4L
pa
40
14
(3) The solution starts with the rst horizontal row of tubes. The horizontal tubes are assumed
to be all in the same conditions, i.e., the simulation of one tube represents the situation of all tubes
(number 1 N
ha
) of that row. The input conditions for each pipe in this row are the mass ow
rate of the solution _ m
s
per y width of the section, solution temperature T
o
and mass fraction w
o
:
_ m
s

_ m
9
N
pa
L
pa
N
ha
15
and
T
o
T
9
16
w
o
1
X
9
100
17
Fig. 3. Schematic of the geometry of a cooled absorber lm: (a) front view section of the absorber tubes and (b) side
view section for the rst vertical row of the tubes.
(4) Under the input conditions above, Eqs. (10)(13) can be applied to the rst tube (k 1) in
the rst vertical row at the rst section (j 1). The inputs start with c
1
0, h
1
0, _ q
w1
0 and
_ m
s1
_ m
s
. The main outputs are: c
n
k1
, h
n
1
_ q
wn
1
and _ m
sn
1
. Then, they are used as new inputs to
the second tube (k 2) and (j 1) in the same vertical row as follows:
T
onew
T
n
1
h
n
1
T
e
T
o
T
o
w
o new
w
n
1
c
n
1
w
e
w
o
w
o
_ m
s1
_ m
sn
1
_ q
w1
_ q
wn
1
and start with h
1
0, c
1
0 and so on to the last tube (k N
v a
). In this case, the output con-
ditions are c
n
N
v a
, h
n
N
v a
, _ q
wn
N
v a
and _ m
sn
N
v a
.
All the processes are taking place at constant cooling water temperature T
15
j 1.
(5) Similar results can be obtained for each of the other vertical rows of tubes at the same
section j 1 because the input conditions are the same for each vertical row (step (4)).
Therefore, the rate of heat transfer to the cooling water and the mass ow rate of the solution for
the whole section are obtained by collecting the _ q
wn
N
v a
and _ m
sn
N
v a
values for each vertical row, or
they can be expressed in the form:
_ q
wj
N
ha
_ q
wn
N
v a
18
_ m
sj
N
ha
_ m
sn
N
v a
19
for 1 6j 6m:
The c
n
N
v a
and h
n
N
v a
values that are obtained from step (5) are the same for the other vertical
rows at same section (j 1).
(6) The same procedure as in steps (5) and (6) is repeated for (j 2; 3; . . . ; m) with a new
cooling water temperature at each section. This temperature can be obtained from the heat
balance around the cooling water circuit as follows:
T
j1

_ q
wj
_ m
15
c
Pj
T
j
20
(7) The total heat of the absorber and the total mass ow rate of solution leaving the absorber
are computed by collecting _ q
wj
and _ m
sj
for all sections as follows:
Q
a

m
j1
_ q
wj
21
_ m
2

m
j1
_ m
sj
22
The mass ow rate of the refrigerant that is absorbed in the absorber is
_ m
1
_ m
r
_ m
2
_ m
9
23
The cooling water temperature outlet from the absorber is
T
16
T
m
24
The h
n
N
v a
and c
n
N
v a
values that are obtained from all sections (step (6)) along the absorber
length are converted to T
n
N
v a
and w
n
N
v a
values from:
T
n
N
v a
h
n
N
v a
T
e
T
o
T
o
25
w
n
N
v a
c
n
N
v a
w
e
w
o
w
o
26
These values T
n
N
v a
and w
n
N
v a
are collected, and the average values as T
av
and w
av
are ob-
tained by a numerical integral method using Simpsons rule [16]. The temperature and concen-
tration of the solution leaving the absorber T
2
and X
2
are
T
2
T
a
T
av
27
X
2
X
a
1001 w
av
28
2.2. The solution pump circuit
(a) Energy balance
Q
p
_ m
3
h
3
_ m
2
h
2
29
Q
p
is the mechanical energy required to pump the solution liquid, and it will be taken as zero in
the present work because its energy is very small compared with Q
g
.
Thus,
_ m
3
h
3
_ m
2
h
2
30
_ m
3
h
3
_ m
4
h
4
_ m
8
h
8
31
_ m
9
h
9
_ m
8
h
8
_ m
7
h
7
32
h
9

_ m
8
h
8
_ m
7
h
7
_ m
9
33
(b) Conservation of total mass
_ m
2
_ m
3
34
_ m
3
_ m
4
_ m
8
2 _ m
4
2 _ m
8
35
_ m
9
_ m
8
_ m
7
36
(c) Conservation of absorbate
_ m
2
X
2
_ m
3
X
3
37
From Eq. (34)
X
2
X
3
X
a
38
_ m
3
X
3
_ m
4
X
4
_ m
8
X
8
39
Substituting Eq. (35) in Eq. (39) and eliminating _ m
3
provides
X
3
X
4
X
8
X
a
40
_ m
9
X
9
_ m
8
X
8
_ m
7
X
7
41
Substituting Eqs. (34), (35) and (40) into Eq. (41) gives
_ m
9
X
9

1
2
_ m
2
X
2
_ m
7
X
7
42
Rearranging Eq. (42),
X
9

1
2
_ m
2
m
9
X
2

_ m
7
_ m
9
X
7
43
2.3. The solution heat exchanger
(a) The heat transfer process
It is expressed in terms of the eectiveness of the heat exchanger. The expression for the ef-
fectiveness is given as [10]
g
T
6
T
7
T
6
T
4
44
T
7
T
6
gT
6
T
4
45
(b) Energy balance
_ m
4
c
P4
T
5
T
4
_ m
6
c
P4
T
6
T
7
46
T
5

_ m
6
c
P6
_ m
4
c
P4
T
6
T
7
T
4
47
noting that _ m
4
_ m
5
1=2 _ m
2
and _ m
6
_ m
7
2.4. Generator
(a) Energy balance
Q
g
Q
g1
_ m
6
h
6
_ m
10
h
10
_ m
5
h
5
48
or Q
g
may be expressed from the external circuit as Q
g2
Q
g
Q
g2
_ m
18
c
P18
T
18
T
19
49
(b) Conservation of total mass
_ m
6
_ m
5
_ m
10
50
noting that _ m
10
_ m
r
(c) Conservation of absorbate
_ m
5
X
5
_ m
6
X
6
51
Substituting Eq. (50) into Eq. (51) gives
_ m
5
X
5
_ m
5
_ m
10
X
6
52
Rearranging Eq. (52) to obtain the ow ratio (FR)
FR
_ m
5
_ m
10
X
6
X
6
X
5
53
where X
6
X
g
.
Thus,
FR
X
g
X
g
X
a
54
(d) Heat transfer process
The generator is a shell and tube heat exchanger. It is assumed that the ow is counter ow
through multi-pass tubes. The heat transfer equation employed is [10],
Q
g
Q
g3
U
g
A
g
DT
mg
F
c
55
(e) Equilibrium equation
The generator pressure P
g
is in equilibrium with the solution temperature in the generator
T
g
T
6
and its concentration X
g
X
6
. The generator pressure equals the condenser pressure P
c
.
The condenser temperature is T
c
T
11
, and its vapor pressure is P
c
. Therefore, from the equi-
librium equation of the LiBrH
2
O solution, the generator temperature T
g
can be expressed as a
function of its concentration X
g
and the condenser temperature T
c
as follows [1]:
T
g
f T
c
; X
g
56
2.5. Condenser
(a) Energy balance
Q
c
Q
c1
m
11
h
fg11
57
or Q
c
c2
Q
c
Q
c2
m
16
c
P16
T
17
T
16
58
(b) Heat transfer process
The refrigerant vapor entering the condenser is assumed to be saturated vapor at the condenser
temperature T
11
(T
c
). So that
Q
c
Q
c3
U
c
A
c
DT
mc
59
2.6. Expansion device
h
11
h
12
h
c
60
Note that _ m
11
_ m
12
.
2.7. Evaporator
(a) Energy balance
Q
e
Q
e1
_ m
1
h
1
h
12
61
but h
11
h
12
.
So,
Q
e1
_ m
1
h
1
h
11
62
noting that _ m
1
_ m
12
.
Or Q
e
e2
Q
e
Q
e2
m
13
c
P13
T
13
T
14
63
(b) Heat transfer process
In the evaporator, the water vapor is evaporated at the saturation temperature T
1
T
e
, thus
Q
e
Q
e3
U
e
A
e
DT
me
64
2.8. The COP
The overall energy balance equation for the whole cycle will be
Q
e
Q
g
Q
a
Q
c
0 65
The COP for the system is usually dened as
COP
Q
e
Q
g
66
3. Computational model
The simulation of any absorption system means the representation of the actual behavior of the
system mathematically. This process was done by casting mathematical models for each com-
ponent making up the absorption refrigeration system. These components were an absorber, a
generator, an economizer (liquid to liquid heat exchanger), a condenser and an evaporator. These
models were then combined and solved to give the required information about the temperature,
concentration and ow rate at each state point of the system and the heat quantities at each
component as well as the performance of the system.
In the present work, a computer program was built to simulate the eect of various operating
conditions on the performance and output of the absorption refrigeration system.
3.1. Simulation of the solution heat exchanger and the absorber
Simulation of the solution heat exchanger and the absorber implies the determination of the
output conditions from the solution heat exchanger and the absorber block diagram for its input
conditions and physical dimensions of the absorber (Table 1). This is depicted in the information
ow diagram in Fig. 4a. The simulation was accomplished by starting with initial values of T
a
and
X
a
as well as the input conditions as shown in Fig. 4a. Then T5 is computed from Eq. (47). The
input conditions to the absorber, which are the parameters of the intermediate solution _ m
9
, T
9
and X
9
, are then calculated. In the absorber, T
a
, X
a
, _ m
r
and Q
a
are computed by applying Eqs.
(2)(5) for the whole absorber length and solving them numerically by the nite dierence method
[16]. The solution is represented in the seven steps described in Section 2. The new T
a
and X
a
are
Table 1
Design parameters of the absorber
Description Absorber Generator Condenser Evaporator
Inside diameter of tube (mm) 13.84 13.84 13.84 13.84
Outside diameter of tube (mm) 15.87 15.87 15.87 15.87
Total number of tubes 484 200 121 256
Number of passes 4 2 1 4
Number of tubes per pass 121 100 121 64
Number of tubes in the vertical
direction per pass
11 10 11 8
Number of tubes in the horizontal
direction per pass
11 10 11 8
Length of the absorber (m) 4.876 4.876 4.876 4.876
Fouling factor (m
2
C/kW) 8.6E06 8.6E06 8.6E06 8.6E06
Fig. 4. Information ow diagram of the system.
compared with the initial reference values for a given accuracy. If the required accuracy is not
obtained, the new T
a
and X
a
are taken as new reference values, and the process is repeated. The
convergence criterion was set equal to 0.0001. If the required accuracy is obtained, T
a
, X
a
, Q
a
, T
16
and _ m
r
are obtained as shown in Fig. 4a.
3.2. Simulation of the generator
This involves determination of conditions at the outlet from the generator block diagram for its
input conditions and for given values of the physical dimensions of the generator (Table 1). This is
depicted in the information ow diagram in Fig. 4b. The output data can be obtained by solving
two simultaneous nonlinear equations iteratively for two variables (X
g
and T
19
) by using Powells
method [17], which is based on the classical NewtonRaphson technique. These equations are
written in the form Q
1i
i 1; 2
Q
11
Q
g1
Q
g2
67
Q
12
Q
g1
Q
g3
68
Powells method deals with nonlinear equations as F
i
and their variables x
i
to solve them si-
multaneously. The simulation starts with an initial X
g
and T
19
. Then, Q
1i
i 1; 2 values are
obtained from Eqs. (67) and (68). The initial values of X
g
and T
19
are converted to x
i
(i 1; 2).
Also, Q
1i
i 1; 2 values are converted to F
i
i 1; 2 values. The solution of Powells method
aim to reduce F
i
towards zero, and it is said to converge when
2
i1
F
2
i
_
610
6
. If the required
accuracy is obtained Powells method will create new x
i
i 1; 2 values. These values are re-
created to new X
g
and T
19
. These values are taken as reference values, and the process is repeated
to nd Q
1i
. If the convergence is satised, the output conditions are obtained (Fig. 4b).
3.3. Simulation of the condenser
This implies the determination of the output data from the condenser block diagram for given
values of its physical dimensions (Table 1), and for its input data as shown in Fig. 4c. The output
data can be obtained by solving the energy balance equations as two simultaneous nonlinear
equations iteratively for two variables (T
c
and T
17
) by using Powells method. These equations are
written in the form Q
2i
i 1; 2
Q
21
Q
c1
Q
c2
69
Q
22
Q
c1
Q
c3
70
The simulation starts with initial T
c
and T
17
values.
3.4. Simulation of the evaporator
This means determination of the output conditions from the evaporator block diagram for
given values of its physical dimensions (Table 1) and for the input conditions to it as shown in Fig.
4d. The output data can be obtained by solving the energy balance equations as two simultaneous
nonlinear equations iteratively for two variables (T
e
and T
13
) by using Powell's method. These
equations are written in the form Q
3i
i 1; 2
Q
31
Q
e1
Q
e2
71
Q
32
Q
e1
Q
e3
72
The simulation procedure is the same as that for the condenser and generator. The simulation
starts with initial T
e
and T
13
values.
3.5. Simulation of the system
Simulation of the system essentially implies prediction of the heat transfer for each of the
system components, the system COP, the conditions at all state points (Fig. 1) for the given
physical dimensions of the plant (Table 1), and for the input conditions to the system as shown in
the information ow diagram in Fig. 4. As discussed earlier, this necessitates determination of the
operating conditions for which the mass and energy balances for the whole system are satised,
together with the performance characteristics of the individual components. The simulation
procedures of Sections 3.13.4 can obviously be used to furnish these performance characteristics.
Consequently, system simulation needs an amalgamation of these component simulation proce-
dures so that by using the aforementioned input information, the values of the desired output
variables are obtained. This is eected through the interlinking of variables which appear as
output from one component and are used as input in the next component (Fig. 4). The problem
essentially reduces to solving nonlinear Eqs. (67)(72) for the variables, T
e
, T
13
, T
c
, T
17
, X
g
, and
T
19
. Variables T
a
and X
a
depend upon these variables, which are obtained numerically by a nite
dierence method as shown in Section 3.1.
The simulation starts with reading input data and creates initial values of T
e
, T
13
, T
c
, T
17
, X
g
and T
19
. First the iterative procedure is done in the solution heat exchanger and the absorber as
shown in the block diagram (Fig. 4a). If the required convergence is obtained, X
a
, _ m
r
, Q
a
and T
16
at the exit of the absorber and T
5
at the inlet to the generator are determined. These are used as
input in the other components as shown in Fig. 4. Then, Q
11
, Q
12
, Q
21
, Q
22
, Q
31
and Q
32
, re-
spectively, are computed. These values are converted to F
i
i 1; 6 values as shown in Table 2
with their variables x
i
i 1; 6 values as shown in Table 2 with their variables x
i
i 1; 6. If the
required accuracy,
6
i1
F
2
i

1=2
610
6
, is not obtained, Powells method would create new
Table 2
The nonlinear equations, which must be solved simultaneously and listed as F
i
i 1; 6
Component name No. of equations in Powells
method
No. of equations in each
component
Reference equation
Generator F
1
Q
11
Q
g1
Q
g2
Eq. (67)
F
2
Q
12
Q
g1
Q
g3
Eq. (68)
Generator F
3
Q
21
Q
c1
Q
c2
Eq. (69)
F
4
Q
22
Q
c1
Q
c3
Eq. (70)
Evaporator F
5
Q
31
Q
e1
Q
e2
Eq. (71)
F
6
Q
32
Q
e1
Q
e3
Eq. (72)
x
i
i 1; 6 values. These values are taken as reference values, and the process is repeated to nd
new F
i
i 1; 6 values. If the convergence is satised, Q
a
, Q
c
, Q
g
, Q
e
, COP and all information
for each state point of Fig. 1 (temperatures, concentration, and ow rates) are obtained. More
comprehensive details about the simulation of the components and the system are given by Lafta
[18].
4. Results and discussion
The computer model was used to simulate the systems performance for a variety of operating
conditions. As a reference point for evaluation of the eect of dierent parameters, a design
condition was selected which corresponds to the design point for the system. The design condition
is described in Table 3. The table lists, rst, the following input parameters:
1. Mass ow rate of the hot water and its inlet temperature, mass ow rate of the cooling water
and its inlet temperature and mass ow rate of the chilled water and its outlet temperature.
2. Mass ow rate of weak solution leaving the solution pump from the absorber and the eective-
ness of the solution heat exchanger.
Next, the following calculated quantities are shown:
1. The temperature, mass ow rate and concentration at all the state points corresponding to Fig.
1. The concentration is the LiBr concentration, percent by weight, in the solution.
2. The heat quantities in the evaporator, condenser, absorber and generator.
3. The COP.
Similar calculations were made for other selected sets of operating conditions.
The performance characteristics of the individual components of the system are discussed rst
over a wide range of operating conditions, and then, the performance of the entire system is
discussed. only typical results are presented for brevity.
4.1. Individual component performance
The performance of the absorber has been evaluated for various values of input conditions to
the absorber. The simulation included study of the eect of varying one of the input conditions
(inlet cooling water temperature to the absorber T
15
, evaporator temperature T
e
and solution
concentration outlet from the generator X
g
) while keeping the others constant.
Fig. 5 shows the variation of the heat rejection to the cooling water Q
a
as a function of the inlet
cooling water temperature T
15
. The cooling water inlet temperature is varied from 24C to 34C as
possible operating limits in this gure and for a design value of X
g
at 56%. T
e
was taken at 4C,
6C, 8C and 12C, respectively. It can be seen that Q
a
decreases linearly as T
15
is increased. The
values of Q
a
are higher at the higher evaporator temperature. This is because when T
15
T
a
in-
creases, the solution will absorb less refrigerant _ m
r
, which keeps the solution concentration X
a
at a
higher value [6]. Less refrigerant absorption means less heat liberation Q
a
to the cooling water [6]
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a
b
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and vice versa. At a high T
e
, more refrigerant is absorbed [4], and X
a
becomes lower. More re-
frigerant absorption means more heat liberation to the cooling water.
Generator simulation includes the study of the eect of varying one of the input conditions,
such as inlet hot water temperature T
18
, the solution concentration at the outlet from the absorber
X
a
and the condenser temperature T
c
(or condenser pressure), on the performance while keeping
other parameters constant.
Fig. 6 shows the variation of the heat supplied to the generator Q
g
as a function of T
18
at a
design solution concentration X
a
of 54.6% and three condenser temperatures. It can be seen from
this gure that when T
18
increases, Q
g
increases. The values of this parameter are higher at the
lower T
c
. The reason behind this behavior is that when T
18
increases, the solution temperature T
g
will, of course, increase. Then, more refrigerant will be generated. This, in turn, causes an increase
in the solution concentration X
g
with LiBr, and then, Q
g
will increase as shown in Fig. 6. An
important result in this gure is the limitation in the operating hot water temperature associated
with the condenser temperature. A condenser temperature of 34C allows a wide range of prime
hot water temperature (7595C), whereas this range is reduced to 10C (8595C) when the
condenser temperature becomes 44C. This can be attributed to the fact that the absorption cycle
operates when the generator concentration X
g
is greater than the absorber concentration X
a
to
generate refrigerant vapor [1]. Therefore, the minimum hot water temperature T
18
to generate
refrigerant in the generator at a condenser temperature T
c
of 34C is 75C (T
g
67:75C). X
g
is
55%, whereas X
a
is 54.6%. The other values for T
18
are obtained in a similar way at other con-
denser temperatures.
The performance of the condenser includes study of the eect of varying one of the in-
put conditions, such as refrigerant ow rate _ m
r
and inlet cooling water temperature T
16
, on the
Fig. 5. Variation of the heat rejection with the inlet cooling water temperature.
performance of the condenser while keeping other factors at constant values. Fig. 7 shows the
condenser heat rejection Q
c
to the cooling water as a function of the cooling water temperature
T
16
for three refrigerant mass ow rates _ m
r
. The heat rejection rate is almost insensitive within the
Fig. 6. Variation of the heat supplied to the generator with inlet hot water temperature.
Fig. 7. Variation of the heat rejection from the condenser with the inlet condenser cooling water temperature.
cooling range of the illustration. However, the values of the heat rejection go up in steps with each
_ m
r
, as expected.
The evaporator performance is predicted by varying one of the input conditions, such as mass
ow rate of the refrigerant _ m
r
, condenser temperature T
c
and outlet chilled water temperature T
14
,
while keeping others constant. Fig. 8 shows the variation of the cooling load Q
e
as a function of
the outlet chilled water temperature T
14
over the possible operating conditions for the chilled
water temperature from 5C to 15C and at three values of _ m
r
and T
c
. Q
e
increases slightly as T
14
is increased. The cooling load takes higher values at higher refrigerant ow rates and lower
condenser temperatures. The rate of increase of the cooling load with refrigerant ow rate in steps
is quite obvious, as they are directly related.
4.2. Overall system performance
The performance of the total system includes study of the eect of varying one of the input
conditions, such as inlet hot water temperature T
18
, inlet cooling water temperature to the ab-
sorber T
15
and outlet chilled water temperature T
14
, on the performance while keeping the other
variables in Table 3 constant.
The capacity of the system Q
e
is represented as a percentage of the nominal cooling capacity of
211.1 kW (60 TR) in Fig. 9. This gure shows that when T
18
is increased, the capacity increases
Fig. 8. Variation of the evaporator load with the outlet chilled water temperature.
linearly. This trend is expected in the absorption refrigeration system [1]. The same trend was
obtained experimentally by Pichel [2] and theoretically by Waleed [3] for other conditions. Lower
T
15
values mean higher capacity. Also, Fig. 9 shows a comparison between the present theoretical
simulated system results and MDC. It can be seen that very good agreement is obtained between
the two. The percentage dierence between the two results was within 0.133.64%. The theoretical
predictions show a much wider range in Figs. 916. The dashed lines are only extensions of the
computer prediction. The actual range of the system capacity is, of course, limited by the machine
design limitations, which are limited by the capacity range given by the manufacturer design
curve. This is shown as solid lines in the computer output in the above illustrations.
Fig. 10 shows the variation of the COP of the system (Eq. (66)) with T
18
. The COP increases
with T
18
because of the increased cooling capacity. The values of COP are higher at the lower T
15
values. Eisa et al. [4] obtained a similar trend of variation of COP when T
g
was increased at
dierent T
a
and T
c
values. The system in Ref. [4] did not include a solution heat exchanger. Eisa
et al. [5] investigated the variation of COP with T
g
experimentally for dierent T
c
values. They
obtained a similar trend of results as that presented here in Fig. 10. The manufacturer's COP
(MDC) of the simulated system is plotted in Fig. 10 for comparison with the present theoretical
curve for COP. The percentage dierence in the results was within 0.441.65%.
Cooling water is normally supplied to the absorber and condenser of an absorption system either
in parallel or in series. Figs. 11 and 12 show the variation of the capacity and the COP, respectively,
as a function of T
18
for cooling water in parallel and series. The inlet cooling water temperature in
parallel to the absorber T
15a
and to the condenser T
15c
was 30C for both, while in series operation,
only the inlet cooling water temperature to the absorber T
15
is 30C. These gures show that the
capacity and COP are higher for the parallel cooling method, as would be expected, because of a
Fig. 9. Variation of the capacity with the inlet hot water temperature.
lower condenser temperature in the parallel operation. Therefore, the performance improves.
Pichel [2] presented experimental results of the capacity against T
18
for series and parallel cooling.
His results agree with the trend of results in Fig. 11 of the present work.
Fig. 11. Variation of the capacity with the inlet hot water temperature for cooling water in parallel and series.
Fig. 10. Variation of the COP with the inlet hot water temperature.
Fig. 12. Variation of the COP with the inlet hot water temperature for cooling water in parallel and series.
Fig. 13. Variation of the capacity with the outlet chilled water temperature.
Fig. 13 shows that the capacity increases as T
14
is increased, and higher values of T
15
indicate
lower capacity. Pichel [2] presents experimental results of the refrigeration capacity on the same
Fig. 14. Variation of the COP with the outlet chilled water temperature.
Fig. 15. Variation of the capacity with the inlet cooling water temperature.
coordinates as Fig. 13. The trend of that experimental data is the same as that in Fig. 13. MDC is
included in this illustration for purposes of comparison between actual design data and the
present model results. It is clear that excellent agreement is obtained between them. The per-
centage dierence at T
15
of 30C (which is the design value) in this comparison was less than 1%.
Fig. 14 shows the system COP increasing as T
14
is increased. The values of COP are higher at
lower T
15
. Eisa et al. [4] indicated that the COP increases as T
e
is increased, and that the best COP
is obtained when T
a
and T
c
are lower. Also, Eisa et al. [5] proved experimentally that the COP
increases as the evaporator temperature is increased. The results of Fig. 14 of the present model
are in agreement with the results of Refs. [4,5].
Fig. 15 shows the variation of the capacity as a function of T
15
. T
18
was kept constant at 85C.
The capacity decreases as T
15
is increased and is higher at the higher values of T
14
for the reasons
discussed earlier. Also, Fig. 15 illustrates a comparison between the present results and the MDC
of the capacity variation with cooling water temperature. It can be seen that very good agreement
is obtained between them. The percentage dierence between the results was less than 1.65%.
Fig. 16 shows the variation of COP with T
15
. The COP decreases when T
15
takes higher values,
and higher values of T
14
mean higher COP. Eisa et al. [4] showed that the COP decreases as the
absorber temperature T
a
and condenser temperature T
c
are increased. Also, Eisa et al. [5] have
found experimentally that the COP decreases as T
a
and T
c
are decreased. These results are in
agreement with the present model results of Fig. 16.
The variation in the absorption cycle can now be represented on the equilibrium chart for the
LiBrH
2
O solution as shown in Fig. 17. The cycle is labeled with the same numbers for state
points as those of Fig. 1. In Fig. 17a, T
18
increases from 80C (state A) to 85C (state B) at a
value of T
15
of 30C and T
14
of 8C. In Fig. 17b, T
15
increases from 30C (state A) to 34C (state B)
Fig. 16. Variation of the COP with the inlet cooling water temperature.
Fig. 17. Absorption refrigeration cycle on PXT diagram of LiBrH
2
O. (a) Eect of incresing T
18
on the system
performance at constant T
15
and T
14
. (b) Eect of increaing T
15
on the system performance at constant T
18
and T
14
. (c)
Eect of increaing T
14
on the system performance at constant T
18
and T
15
.
at a value of T
18
of 85C and T
14
of 8C, while in Fig. 17c, T
14
was changed from 8C (state A) to
10C (state B) at a T
18
value of 85C and T
15
30C. The above representation of the varia-
tions in the absorption cycle gives a clear picture of the cycle variations with the parameters
discussed.
5. Conclusions
1. The simulation of the absorber and its representation with the present model was very success-
ful. The validity of the simulation results was established by comparison with other works.
2. The simulation results of the overall system performance showed that the eects of varying sys-
tem parameters in the simulation on system performance were typical of the LiBr absorption
cycle and gave quantitative as well as qualitative results.
3. Comparison between the present model results and the manufacturer's data showed excellent
agreement.
References
[1] ASHRAE handbook, Fundamentals, ASHRAE, New York, 1985.
[2] Pichel W. Development of large capacity lithium bromide absorption refrigeration machine in USSR. ASHRAE J
1996:858.
[3] Waleed AF. Study of the eect of design parameters on a two ton lithium bromide absorption unit. MSc Thesis,
University of Technology, Baghdad, Iraq, 1983.
[4] Eisa MAR, Devotta S, Holland FA. Thermodynamic design data for absorption heat pump systems operating on
waterlithium bromide: Part I cooling. Appl Energy 1986;24:287301.
[5] Eisa MAR, Holland FA. A study of the operating parameters in a waterlithium bromide absorption cooler.
Energy Res 1986;10(2):13744.
[6] Eisa MAR, Diggory PJ, Holland FA. Experimental studies to determine the eect of dierences in absorber and
condenser temperatures on the performance of a waterlithium bromide absorption cooler. Energy Convers Mgmt
1987;27(2):2539.
[7] Mclinden MO, Klein SA. Steady-state modeling of absorption heat pumps with a comparison to experiments.
ASHRAE Trans Part-2B 1985;91:1793806.
[8] Grossman G, Michelson E. A modular computer simulation of absorption systems. ASHRAE Trans Part-2B
1985;91:180826.
[9] Catalogue for LiBr absorption chiller model ES-2A4.MW, 60 TR capacity. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.,
Energy and Environment Research Center, Baghdad.
[10] Holman JP. Heat transfer, 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 1992.
[11] Charters WWS, Megler VR, Chen WD, Wang YF. Atmospheric and sub-atmospheric boiling of H2O and LiBr
H2O solutions. Int J Refrig 1982;5(2):10714.
[12] Lorenz JJ, Yung D. A note on combined boiling and evaporation liquid lms horizontal tubes. Trans ASME,
J Heat Transf 1979;101:17880.
[13] Perry JH. Chemical engineers handbook, 3rd ed. New York: McGraw Hill; 1950.
[14] Wassenaar RH. A comparison of 4 absorber models. Internal Report K-176, Delft University of Technology,
Delft, Netherlands, 1992.
[15] Wassenaar RH. Falling lm absorption: a discussion on three types of model and on the data reduction of
absorption measurements. Proceedings of the 19th International Congress of Refrigeration, vol. IVa, Theme 4, 11R
Commission B1, 1995. p. 348.
[16] Huliquist P. Numerical methods for engineering and computer scientists. New York: Addison Wesley; 1988.
[17] Rabinowitz P. Numerical methods for non-linear algebraic equations. London: Gordon & Breach; 1970.
[18] Lafta AH. Preliminary simulation of a simple absorption refrigeration system. MSc Thesis, Department of
Mechanical Engineering, University of Baghdad, Iraq, 1988.

Simulationof Simple Abs System

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Simulationof Simple Abs System

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Simulation of a simple absorption refrigeration system

c average dimensionless mass fraction

h average dimensionless temperature

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