Absorption refrigerator

An absorption refrigerator is a refrigerator that uses a heat source (e.g., solar energy, a fossil-
fueled flame, waste heat from factories, or district heating systems) to provide the energy needed to
drive the cooling process. The system uses two coolants, the first of which performs evaporative
cooling and is then absorbed into the second coolant; heat is needed to reset the two coolants to their
initial states. The principle can also be used to air-condition buildings using the waste heat from a gas
turbine or water heater. Using waste heat from a gas turbine makes the turbine very efficient because
it first produces electricity, then hot water, and finally, air-conditioning—trigeneration. Absorption
refrigerators are commonly used in recreational vehicles (RVs), campers, and caravans because the
heat required to power them can be provided by a propane fuel burner, by a low-voltage DC electric
heater (from a battery or vehicle electrical system) or by a mains-powered electric heater. Unlike
more common vapor-compression refrigeration systems, an absorption refrigerator can be produced
with no moving parts other than the coolants.

Contents
History
Principles
Simple salt and water system
Water spray absorption refrigeration
Single pressure absorption refrigeration
See also
References
Further reading
External links

History
In the early years of the twentieth century, the vapor absorption cycle using water-ammonia systems
was popular and widely used, but after the development of the vapor compression cycle it lost much
of its importance because of its low coefficient of performance (about one fifth of that of the vapor
compression cycle). Absorption refrigerators are a popular alternative to regular compressor
refrigerators where electricity is unreliable, costly, or unavailable, where noise from the compressor is
problematic, or where surplus heat is available (e.g., from turbine exhausts or industrial processes, or
from solar plants).

In 1748 while in Glasgow, William Cullen invented the basis for modern refrigeration, although is not
credited with a usable application. More on history of refrigeration can be found in the paragraph
Refrigeration Research on page Refrigeration.

Absorption refrigeration uses the same principle as adsorption refrigeration (note that the second
letter is different), that was invented by Michael Faraday in 1821, but instead of using a solid
adsorber, in an absorption system, an absorber absorbs the refrigerant vapour into a liquid.
Absorption cooling was invented by the French scientist Ferdinand Carré in 1858.[1] The original
design used water and sulphuric acid. In 1922 Baltzar von Platen and Carl Munters, while they were
still students at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, enhanced the principle with
a three-fluid configuration. This "Platen-Munters" design can operate without a pump.

Commercial production began in 1923 by the newly formed company AB Arctic, which was bought by
Electrolux in 1925. In the 1960s, absorption refrigeration saw a renaissance due to the substantial
demand for refrigerators for caravans (travel trailers). AB Electrolux established a subsidiary in the
United States, named Dometic Sales Corporation. The company marketed refrigerators for
recreational vehicles (RVs) under the Dometic brand. In 2001, Electrolux sold most of its leisure
products line to the venture-capital company EQT which created Dometic as a stand-alone company.
Dometic still sells absorption fridges in 2021.[2]

In 1926, Albert Einstein and his former student Leó Szilárd proposed an alternative design known as
the Einstein refrigerator.[3] At the 2007 TED Conference, Adam Grosser presented his research of a
new, very small, "intermittent absorption" vaccine refrigeration unit for use in third world countries.
The refrigerator is a small unit placed over a campfire, that can later be used to cool 15 liters of water
to just above freezing for 24 hours in a 30 °C environment.[4]

Principles
Common absorption refrigerators use a refrigerant with a very low boiling point (less than −18 °C
(0 °F)) just like compressor refrigerators. Compression refrigerators typically use an HCFC or HFC,
while absorption refrigerators typically use ammonia or water and need at least a second fluid able to
absorb the coolant, the absorbent, respectively water (for ammonia) or brine (for water). Both types
use evaporative cooling: when the refrigerant evaporates (boils), it takes some heat away with it,
providing the cooling effect. The main difference between the two systems is the way the refrigerant is
changed from a gas back into a liquid so that the cycle can repeat. An absorption refrigerator changes
the gas back into a liquid using a method that needs only heat, and has no moving parts other than
the fluids.

The absorption cooling cycle can be described in three

phases:

1. Evaporation: A liquid refrigerant evaporates in a low

partial pressure environment, thus extracting heat
from its surroundings (e.g. the refrigerator's
compartment). Because of the low partial pressure,
the temperature needed for evaporation is also low.
2. Absorption: The second fluid, in a depleted state,
sucks out the now gaseous refrigerant, thus providing
the low partial pressure. This produces a refrigerant-
saturated liquid which then flows to the next step:
3. Regeneration: The refrigerant-saturated liquid is
heated, causing the refrigerant to evaporate out.

a. The evaporation occurs at the lower end of

a narrow tube; the bubbles of refrigerant gas
push the refrigerant-depleted liquid into a
higher chamber, from which it will flow by
gravity to the absorption chamber.
b. The hot gaseous refrigerant passes through a heat exchanger, transferring its heat
outside the system (such as to surrounding ambient-temperature air), and condenses at a
higher place. The condensed (liquid) refrigerant will then flow by gravity to supply the
evaporation phase.
The system thus silently provides for the mechanical circulation of the liquid without a usual pump. A
third fluid, gaseous, is usually added to avoid pressure concerns when condensation occurs (see
below).

In comparison, a compressor refrigerator uses a compressor, usually powered by either an electric or

internal combustion motor, to increase the pressure on the gaseous refrigerant. The resulting hot,
high-pressure gas is condensed to a liquid form by cooling in a heat exchanger ("condenser") that is
exposed to the external environment (usually air in the room). The condensed refrigerant, now at a
temperature near to that of the external environment but at higher pressure, then passes through an
orifice or a throttle valve into the evaporator section. The orifice or throttle valve creates a pressure
drop between the high pressure condenser section and the low pressure evaporator section. The lower
pressure in the evaporator section allows the liquid refrigerant to evaporate, which absorbs heat from
the refrigerator food compartment. The now-vaporized refrigerant then goes back into the
compressor to repeat the cycle.

Simple salt and water system

A simple absorption refrigeration system common in large commercial plants uses a solution of
lithium bromide or lithium chloride salt and water. Water under low pressure is evaporated from the
coils that are to be chilled. The water is absorbed by a lithium bromide/water solution. The system
drives the water out of the lithium bromide solution with heat.[5]

Water spray absorption refrigeration

Another variant, uses air, water, and a salt water solution. The
intake of warm, moist air is passed through a sprayed solution of
salt water. The spray lowers the humidity but does not
significantly change the temperature. The less humid, warm air is
then passed through an evaporative cooler, consisting of a spray
of fresh water, which cools and re-humidifies the air. Humidity is
removed from the cooled air with another spray of salt solution,
providing the outlet of cool, dry air.
Water spray absorption system
The salt solution is regenerated by heating it under low pressure,
causing water to evaporate. The water evaporated from the salt
solution is re-condensed, and rerouted back to the evaporative cooler.

Single pressure absorption refrigeration

A single-pressure absorption refrigerator takes advantage of the fact that a liquid's evaporation rate
depends upon the partial pressure of the vapor above the liquid and goes up with lower partial
pressure. While having the same total pressure throughout the system, the refrigerator maintains a
low partial pressure of the refrigerant (therefore high evaporation rate) in the part of the system that
draws heat out of the low-temperature interior of the refrigerator, but maintains the refrigerant at
high partial pressure (therefore low evaporation rate) in the part of the system that expels heat to the
ambient-temperature air outside the refrigerator.

The refrigerator uses three substances: ammonia, hydrogen gas, and water. The cycle is closed, with
all hydrogen, water and ammonia collected and endlessly reused. The system is pressurized to the
pressure where the boiling point of ammonia is higher than the temperature of the condenser coil
(the coil which transfers heat to the air outside the refrigerator, by being hotter than the outside air.)
This pressure is typically 14–16 atm at which pressure the dew point of ammonia will be about 35 °C
(95 °F).
The cooling cycle starts with liquid ammonia at room
temperature entering the evaporator. The volume of
the evaporator is greater than the volume of the
liquid, with the excess space occupied by a mixture of
gaseous ammonia and hydrogen. The presence of
hydrogen lowers the partial pressure of the ammonia
gas, thus lowering the evaporation point of the liquid
below the temperature of the refrigerator's interior.
Ammonia evaporates, taking a small amount of heat
from the liquid and lowering the liquid's temperature.
It continues to evaporate, while the large enthalpy of
vaporization (heat) flows from the warmer
refrigerator interior to the cooler liquid ammonia and
then to more ammonia gas.

In the next two steps, the ammonia gas is separated

from the hydrogen so it can be reused.
Dometic absorption refrigerator.
1. The ammonia (gas) and hydrogen (gas) mixture 1. Hydrogen enters the pipe with liquid ammonia
flows through a pipe from the evaporator into the 2. Ammonia and hydrogen enter the inner
absorber. In the absorber, this mixture of gases compartment. Volume increase causes a
contacts water (technically, a weak solution of decrease in the partial pressure of the liquid
ammonia in water). The gaseous ammonia ammonia. The ammonia evaporates, taking heat
dissolves in the water, while the hydrogen, which from the liquid ammonia (ΔHVap) lowering its
doesn't, collects at the top of the absorber, leaving temperature. Heat flows from the hotter interior of
the now-strong ammonia-and-water solution at the the refrigerator to the colder liquid, promoting
bottom. The hydrogen is now separate while the further evaporation.
ammonia is now dissolved in the water. 3. Ammonia and hydrogen return from the inner
2. The next step separates the ammonia and water. compartment, ammonia returns to absorber and
The ammonia/water solution flows to the dissolves in water. Hydrogen is free to rise.
generator (boiler), where heat is applied to boil off 4. Ammonia gas condensation (passive cooling).
the ammonia, leaving most of the water (which 5. Hot ammonia gas.
has a higher boiling point) behind. Some water 6. Heat insulation and distillation of ammonia gas
vapor and bubbles remain mixed with the from water.
ammonia; this water is removed in the final 7. Electric heat source.
separation step, by passing it through the 8. Absorber vessel (water and ammonia solution).
separator, an uphill series of twisted pipes with
minor obstacles to pop the bubbles, allowing the
water vapor to condense and drain back to the generator.

The pure ammonia gas then enters the condenser. In this heat exchanger, the hot ammonia gas
transfers its heat to the outside air, which is below the boiling point of the full-pressure ammonia,
and therefore condenses. The condensed (liquid) ammonia flows down to be mixed with the
hydrogen gas released from the absorption step, repeating the cycle.

See also
Adsorption refrigeration
Icyball
Quantum absorption refrigerator
RV Fridge

References
1. Eric Granryd & Björn Palm, Refrigerating
engineering, Stockholm Royal Institute of
Technology, 2005, see chap. 4-3
2. https://www.dometic.com/en-us/food-and-
beverage/refrigerators?

Thermal image of a Dometic absorption

refrigerator of a comparable type to the one in
the labelled image above. Colour indicates
relative temperature: blue=cold, red is hottest.
The heat source (7) is contained entirely within
the insulation section (6).

v_skuproductgroupdisplay=Absorption+Refrigerators
3. "US Patent 1781541" (http://www.google.com/patents?q=1781541).
4. Adam Grosser (Feb 2007). "Adam Grosser and his sustainable fridge" (http://www.ted.com/talks/a
dam_grosser_and_his_sustainable_fridge.html). TED. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
5. Sapali, S. N. "Lithium Bromide Absorption Refrigeration System". Textbook Of Refrigeration And
Air-Conditioning. New Delhi: PHI learning. p. 258. ISBN 978-81-203-3360-4.

Further reading
Levy, A.; Kosloff, R. (2012). "Quantum Absorption Refrigerator". Phys. Rev. Lett. 108: 070604.
arXiv:1109.0728 (https://arxiv.org/abs/1109.0728). Bibcode:2012PhRvL.108g0604L (https://ui.ads
abs.harvard.edu/abs/2012PhRvL.108g0604L). doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.070604 (https://doi.
org/10.1103%2FPhysRevLett.108.070604). PMID 22401189 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22
401189).

External links
Absorption Heat Pumps (https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/heat-pump-systems/absorption-he
at-pumps) (Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy).
Arizona Energy (http://www.arizonaenergy.org/AltEnergyClub/SMALL%20AMMONIA%20REFRIG
ERATOR.htm) Explanation with diagrams
Lithium-Bromide / Water Cycle (http://apmonitor.com/che436/index.php/Main/BYUHeatingPlant) –
Absorption Refrigeration for Campus Cooling at BYU.
American National Standards Institute. "AHRI standard 560–2000 for absorption refrigerators" (htt
ps://web.archive.org/web/20121031112012/http://ahrinet.org/App_Content/ahri/files/standards%2
0pdfs/ANSI%20standards%20pdfs/ANSI%20ARI560-2000.pdf) (PDF). Archived from the original
(http://www.ahrinet.org/App_Content/ahri/files/standards%20pdfs/ANSI%20standards%20pdfs/A
NSI%20ARI560-2000.pdf) (PDF) on 2012-10-31. Retrieved 2012-03-31.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Absorption_refrigerator&oldid=1019103539"

This page was last edited on 21 April 2021, at 14:59 (UTC).

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