Jazan University

College of Engineering
Department of Mechanical Engineering

C
Course ME‐
ME 523 
523

Refrigeration & Air Conditioning

Refrigeration & Air Conditioning 
Chapter 4

Ab
Absorption refrigeration cycles
ti fi ti l

Objectives

 Introduce the concepts of absorption-refrigeration systems.

Explain the working principle of vapour absorption refrigeration
systems based on ammonia-water.
Draw the schematic of a ammonia-water based vapour
absorption refrigeration system and explain its working principle
C
Compare vapour compressioni systems
t with
ith vapour absorption
b ti
systems.
Chapter 4 Introduction
Motivation off absorption refrigeration
f

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Chapter 4 Introduction

4
Chapter 4 Introduction
Unlike vapor compression systems, which use electrically-driven compressors,
sorption cooling technologies use a source off heat to produce cold.
This characteristic makes sorption cooling machines a very useful sink of waste heat
or solar energy.

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Chapter 4 Basic vapor compression cycle 

Qc

Condenser
E pansion al e
Expansion-valve

W
Evaporator

Compressor
insulation Qe Cool

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Chapter 4 Basic absorption refrigeration cycle 
Absorber Generator

Qc

Qe

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Chapter 4 Basic absorption refrigeration cycle 
Condenser
Qc Generator

Ammonia solution
(weak)
Expansion-valve
p
Qgen Pump

Wpump

Evaporator
Absorber

insulation Qe Ammonia solution

Cool (Saturated or strong)

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Chapter 4 Components of absorption refrigeration System 
The absorption refrigeration system comprises of condenser, expansion valve, evaporator,
absorber, pump and generator.

The vapour absorption refrigeration system comprises of all the processes in the vapour
compression refrigeration system like compression, condensation, expansion and evaporation.
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Chapter 4 Ammonia absorption refrigeration cycle

vapor-compression system Absorption refrigeration system

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Chapter 4 Ammonia absorption refrigeration cycle

Absorption
refrigeration is
economical when
there is a source of
inexpensive thermal
energygy at a
temperature of 100
to 200°C.
Some examples
include geothermal
energy, solar energy,
and waste heat from
cogeneration or
process steam
plants, and even
p
natural gas when it is
at a relatively low
price.

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Chapter 4 Ammonia absorption refrigeration cycle

The COP of actual absorption

p refri‐
geration systems is usually less than
unity.
Air conditioning systems based on
Air‐conditioning
absorption refrigeration, called the
absorption chillers, perform best
when the heat source can supply pp y
heat at a high temperature with
little temperature drop.

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Chapter 4 Ammonia absorption refrigeration cycle
• Absorption refrigeration systems (ARS) involve the absorption of a refrigerant by a
transport medium.
• The most widely used system is the ammonia–water system, where ammonia (NH3)
serves as the refrigerant and water (H2O) as the transport medium
medium.
• Other systems include water–lithium bromide and water–lithium chloride systems,
where water serves as the refrigerant. These systems are limited to applications such
as A-C where the minimum temperature
p is above the freezing
gppoint of water.
• Compared with vapor-compression systems, ARS have one major advantage: A liquid
is compressed instead of a vapor and as a result the work input is very small (on the
order of one percent of the heat supplied to the generator) and often neglected in the
cycle analysis.
• ARS are often classified as heat-driven systems.
• ARS are much more expensive than the vapor-compression refrigeration systems.
Th are more complex
They l and d occupy more space, th
they are much h lless efficient
ffi i t th
thus
requiring much larger cooling towers to reject the waste heat, and they are more
difficult to service since they are less common.
• Therefore ARS should be considered only when the unit cost of thermal energy is
Therefore,
low and is projected to remain low relative to electricity.
• ARS are primarily used in large commercial and industrial installations.

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Chapter 4 NH3‐H2O based vapor absorption refrigeration system 
Figure 1 shows the schematic of the rectification
system consisting of the generator,
generator rectifying
column and dephlegmator. As shown in the
figure, strong solution from absorber enters at the
rectification column, vapor rich in ammonia
leaves at the top of the dephlegmator and weak
solution leaves from the bottom of the generator.
A heating medium supplies the required heat
input Qg to the generator and heat Qd is rejected
to the cooling water in the dephlegmator.
dephlegmator

Fig. 1: Schematic of NH3‐H2O based vapor absorption

refrigeration system

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Chapter 4 NH3‐H2O based vapor absorption refrigeration system 
Figure 2 shows the principle of dephlegmator (or
reflux condenser) in which the ascending vapour is
further enriched. At the top of the dephlegmator, heat
is removed from the vapour so that a part of the
vapour condenses (reflux).
(reflux) This reflux that is cooler
cooler,
exchanges heat with the hotter vapour ascending in
the column. During this process water vapour is
transferred from the vapour to the liquid and
ammonia is transferred from liquid to the vapour as
shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 2: Principle of dephlegmator

In ammonia-water systems, strong solution means solution that is rich in

ammonia, consequently, weak solution refers to solution that is weak in ammonia.

Mass of pure Amunia

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Chapter 4 Problem 1
A vapor absorption
b i refrigeration
fi i system b based
d on ammonia-water
i h refrigeration
has fi i capacity
i off 100 TR.
TR
The various state properties of the system shown below are given in the table.
The circulation ratio λ = 5.345
Taking the heat rejection rate in the reflux condenser (Qd) as 88 kW, find:

a) The mass flow rate of solution through the evaporator Solution

b) The mass flow of strong solution Pure Amunia

c) The mass flow of weak solution

d) Enthalpy values not specified in the table:
(State points 1, 7,8 and 13)
e) Heat transfer rates at condenser, absorber and
generator and solution pump work
f) System COP

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Chapter 4 Solution of Problem 1
a)) Mass flow rate through
g evaporator,
p , m1 is g
given by:
y

b) Mass flow rate of weak solution

c) Mass flow rate of strong solution

d) Enthalpy values not specified in the table:

(State points 1, 7,8 and 13)
Since expansion through expansion valves
is isenthalpic:
From energy balance across Heat Exchanger
Exchanger-I:
I:

From energy balance across solution heat exchanger:

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Chapter 4 Solution of Problem 1
e) From energy balance:

Heat transfer rate at condenser,

Heat transfer rate at absorber,

Heat transfer rate at generator

generator,

Power input to pump,

f) System COP is given by:

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