Refrigeration Systems Technical college/ Baghdad

Theoretical hours: 2 4th Year

Practical hours: 2
Units: 6 Week No. : 20-21-22
Vapour Absorption Refrigeration Systems
First 10 minutes: review the last lecture.
Then explain the new lecture, solve an example.
Last 10 minutes review the lecture and ask if there are any questions.

The objectives of this lesson are to:

1. Discuss vapour absorption refrigeration systems.
2. Discuss the basic principle of a vapour absorption refrigeration system.
3.Compare vapour compression refrigeration systems with continuous vapour absorption refrigeration
systems.
4. Discuss the desirable properties of refrigerant-absorbent pairs for vapour absorption refrigeration
systems and list the commonly used working fluids.
Introduction
Vapour Absorption Refrigeration Systems belong to the class of vapour cycles similar to vapour
compression refrigeration systems; the required input to absorption systems is in the form of heat.
Hence these systems are also called as heat operated or thermal energy driven systems. Since it
uses liquids for absorption of refrigerant, these are also called as wet absorption systems. It has also
widely used in various refrigeration and air conditioning applications. Since these systems run on low-
grade thermal energy, they are preferred when low-grade energy such as waste heat or solar energy
is available. Since it uses natural refrigerants such as water or ammonia they are environment
friendly.
Basic principle:
When a solute such as lithium bromide salt is dissolved in a solvent such as water, the boiling
point of the solvent (water) is elevated. On the other hand, if the temperature of the solution (solvent +
solute) is held constant, then the effect of dissolving the solute is to reduce the vapour pressure of the
solvent below that of the saturation pressure of pure solvent at that temperature. If the solute itself
has some vapour pressure (i.e., volatile solute) then the total pressure exerted over the solution is the
sum total of the partial pressures of solute and solvent. If the solute is non-volatile (e.g. lithium
bromide salt) or if the boiling point difference between the solution and solvent is large (≥ 300oC),
then the total pressure exerted over the solution will be almost equal to the vapour pressure of the
solvent only.

In the simplest absorption refrigeration system, refrigeration is obtained by connecting two

vessels, with one vessel containing pure solvent and the other containing a solution. Since the
pressure is almost equal in both the vessels at equilibrium, the temperature of the solution will be
higher than that of the pure solvent. This means that if the solution is at ambient temperature, then
the pure solvent will be at a temperature lower than the ambient. Hence refrigeration effect is
produced at the vessel containing pure solvent due to this temperature difference. The solvent
evaporates due to heat transfer from the surroundings, flows to the vessel containing solution and is
absorbed by the solution. This process is continued as long as the composition and temperature of
the solution are maintained and liquid solvent is available in the container.
 The system described called as an Intermittent Absorption Refrigeration System. The solvent is
the refrigerant and the solute is called as absorbent. These simple systems can be used to provide
refrigeration using renewable energy such as solar energy in remote and rural areas. As already
explained, these systems provided refrigeration intermittently, if solar energy is used for regenerating
the refrigerant, then regeneration process can be carried out during the day and refrigeration can be
pro14.6. Refrigerant-absorbent combinations for VARS

The desirable properties of refrigerant-absorbent mixtures for VARS are:

1. The refrigerant should exhibit high solubility with solution in the absorber.
2. There should be large difference in the boiling points of refrigerant and absorbent (greater than
200oC), so that only refrigerant is boiled-off in the generator.
3. It should exhibit small heat of mixing so that a high COP can be achieved
4. The refrigerant-absorbent mixture should have high thermal conductivity and low viscosity for high
performance.
5. It should not undergo crystallization or solidification inside the system.
6. The mixture should be safe, chemically stable, non-corrosive, inexpensive and should be available
easily.
The most commonly used refrigerant-absorbent pairs in commercial systems are:
1. Water-Lithium Bromide (H2O-LiBr) system for above 0oC applications such as air conditioning.
Here water is the refrigerant and lithium bromide is the absorbent.
2. Ammonia-Water (NH4-H2O) system for refrigeration applications with ammonia as refrigerant and
water as absorbent.

1. Vapour Absorption Refrigeration Systems Based On

Water-Lithium Bromide Pair (H2O-LiBr):

The objectives of this lesson are to:

1. Draw the schematic of the water-lithium bromide system and explain its working principle.
2. Evaluate the properties of water-lithium bromide solution using p-T-x and h-T-x charts.
3. Evaluate the steady-state performance of a single stage water-lithium bromide system using the
input data and fluid properties.
4. Discuss practical problems in actual water-lithium bromide systems.
5. Resolve an example about the system.

Introduction
Vapour absorption refrigeration systems using water-lithium bromide pair are extensively used in
large capacity air conditioning systems. In these systems water is used as refrigerant and a solution
of lithium bromide in water is used as absorbent. Since water is used as refrigerant, using these
systems it is not possible to provide refrigeration at sub-zero temperatures. Hence it is used only in
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applications requiring refrigeration at temperatures above 0oC. Hence these systems are used for air
conditioning applications. The analysis of this system is relatively easy as the vapour generated in the
generator is almost pure refrigerant (water), unlike ammonia-water systems where both ammonia and
water vapour are generated in the generator.
1. Properties of water lithium-bromide solution:
Mass Balance in Solution
The composition of a solution is generally expressed by the mass fraction of its components. In a
solution containing lithium bromide (LiBr) and water, X is used to indicate the mass fraction of lithium
bromide, i.e.,

Where ml = mass of lithium bromide in solution, lb (kg)

mw = mass of water in solution, lb (kg)
The mass fraction of water in solution is (1 –X). If the mass fraction of LiBr in a solution is expressed
as a percentage, it is known as the concentration of LiBr.
Vapor Pressure
In general, the total pressure of a solution is equal to the sum of the vapor pressures of the solute
and of the solvent. However, in the case of a lithium bromide–water solution, the vapor pressure of
pure LiBr can be ignored because its value is much smaller than that of water.
Equilibrium Chart
The properties of an aqueous lithium bromide solution, including vapor pressure, temperature,
and the mass fraction at equilibrium, may be illustrated on an equilibrium chart based on the Dühring
plot, as shown in Fig.. The ordinate of the equilibrium chart is the saturated vapor pressure of water in
log-scale millimeters of mercury absolute (mm Hg abs) and the corresponding saturated temperature
(°F). The scale is plotted on an inclined line.

Equilibrium chart for aqueous lithium-bromide (LiBr) solution. (Source:

Carrier Corporation. Reprinted with permission.)

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Enthalpy-Concentration Diagram
When water is mixed with anhydrous lithium bromide at the same temperature to form a solution
adiabatically, there is a significant increase in the temperature of the solution. If the mixing process
is to be an isothermal process, i.e., if the temperature of the process is to be kept constant, then heat
must be removed from the solution.

Enthalpy-concentration diagram for aqueous LiBr solution. (Source: ASHRAE

Handbook 1989, Fundamentals, Reprinted with permission.)

If an aqueous LiBr solution is formed by an isothermal process, its specific enthalpy h, in Btu / lb
(kJ / kg), may be expressed as

Where hw, hl = specific enthalpy of water and LiBr, respectively, Btu / lb (kJ / kg).
Figure above shows the enthalpy-concentration h-X diagram of an aqueous LiBr solution. The
ordinate of the diagram is the specific enthalpy of the solution h, in Btu / lb, (kJ / kg), and the abscissa
is the percent concentration of the aqueous LiBr solution. The curved lines represent the specific
enthalpy of the solution at various concentrations of LiBr mixed with water at a constant temperature.

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At the right-hand side of the diagram, there is also a crystallization line. To the right of this line,
excess solid LiBr may crystallize.

2. Steady flow analysis of Water-Lithium Bromide Systems

Figure below shows the schematic of the system indicating various state points. A steady flow
analysis of the system is carried out with the following assumptions:
a. Steady state and steady flow
b. Changes in potential and kinetic energies across each component are negligible
c. No pressure drops due to friction
d. Only pure refrigerant boils in the generator.
The nomenclature followed is:
m= mass flow rate of refrigerant, kg/s
mss= mass flow rate of strong solution (rich in LiBr), kg/s
mws= mass flow rate of weak solution (weak in LiBr), kg/s

Schematic of (H2O-LiBr) system: A: Absorber, C: Condenser, E: Evaporator, G: Generator;

P: Solution Pump SHX: Solution HX; ER: Refrigerant Expansion valve,
ES: Solution Expansion valv

The circulation ratio (λ) is defined as the ratio of strong solution flow rate to refrigerant flow rate. It is given by:

The analysis is carried out by applying mass and energy balance across each component.

Condenser:
Where Tc is the condenser temperature

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Expansion valve (refrigerant):

Evaporator:

Where Te is the evaporator temperature

Absorber
From total mass balance:

From mass balance for pure water:

m& + (1 − χ ss )m& ss = (1 − χ ws )m& ws
χ ws
λ=
χ ss − χ ws

The first term in the above equation represents the enthalpy change of water as changes its
state from vapour at state 4 to liquid at state 5. The second term represents the sensible heat
transferred as solution at state 10 is cooled to solution at state 5.
Solution pump:

However, if we assume the solution to be incompressible, then:

Where vsol is the specific volume of the solution which can be taken to be approximately equal to 0.00055
m3/kg. Even though the solution pump work is small it is still required in the selection of suitable pump.
Solution heat exchanger:

Heat transfer rate in the solution heat exchanger, Q is given by:

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Generator:

Heat input to the generator is given by:

Solution expansion valve:

The COP of the system is given by:

The second law (exergetic) efficiency of the system η11 is given by:

The effectiveness of solution heat exchanger, εHX is given by:

Practical problems in water-lithium bromide systems:

Practical problems typical to water-lithium bromide systems are:
1. Crystallization
2. Air leakage, and
3. Pressure drops
Example
A single stage vapour absorption refrigeration system based on H2O-LiBr has a refrigeration capacity of
300 kW. The system operates at an evaporator temperature of 5oC (Psat=8.72 mbar) and a condensing
temperature of 50oC (Psat=123.3 mbar). The exit temperatures of absorber and generator are 40oC and
110oC respectively. The concentration of solution at the exit of absorber and generator are 0.578 and 0.66,
respectively. Assume 100 percent effectiveness for the solution heat exchanger, exit condition of refrigerant at
evaporator and condenser to be saturated and the condition of the solution at the exit of absorber and
generator to be at equilibrium. Enthalpy of strong solution at the inlet to the absorber may be obtained from the
equilibrium solution data.
Find:
a) The mass flow rates of refrigerant, weak and strong solutions
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b) Heat transfer rates at the absorber, evaporator, condenser, generator and solution heat exchanger
c) System COP and second law efficiency.
d) Solution pump work (density of solution = 1200 kg/m3).
Given:
Refrigeration capacity: 300 kW
o
Evaporator temperature: 5 C
o
Condenser temperature: 50 C
o
Absorber temperature: 40 C
o
Generator temperature: 110 C
Weak solution concentration X : 0.578
WS
Strong solution concentration, X : 0.66
SS
Effectiveness of solution HX, ε : 1.0
HX
3
Density of solution ρ : 1200 kg/m
sol

Refrigerant exit at evaporator & condenser: Saturated

Solution at the exit of absorber & generator: Equilibrium
Referring to the Schematic of (H2O-LiBr) system.
Assuming the refrigerant vapour at the exit of generator to be in equilibrium with the strong solution leaving the
generator
o
⇒ Temperature of vapour at generator exit = 110 C
⇒ enthalpy of vapour = 2501+1.88 X 110 = 2708 kJ/kg
From the definition of effectiveness of solution HX;
ε = [m C (T -T )]/[m C (T -T )] = 1.0 ( m < m )
HX SS p,SS 8 9 SS p,SS 8 6 SS WS
o
⇒ T = T = 40 C
9 6

From the above equation, the following property data at various points are obtained using refrigerant property
charts and water – LiBr solution property charts.
The enthalpy of superheated water vapour (h ) may be obtained by using the equation:
v
o
h = 2501 + 1.88 t, where h is in kJ/kg and t is in C.
v v

Enthalpy of weak solution at the exit of solution HX is obtained from the energy balance equation:
m (h -h ) = m (h -h ) ⇒ h = h +m (h -h )/m = -37.5 kJ/kg
WS 7 6 SS 8 9 7 6 SS 8 9 WS

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a) Required mass flow rate of refrigerant,
m = Q /(h -h ) = 0.1304 kg/s (Ans.)
e 4 3

Circulation ratio, h3
λ = m /m = X /(X -X ) = 7.05
SS WS SS WS

Mass flow rate of strong solution, m = λm = 0.9193 kg/s (Ans.)

SS

Mass flow rate of weak solution, m = (λ+1)m = 1.05 kg/s (Ans.)

WS

b) Heat transfer rates at various components:

Evaporator: Qe = 300 kW (input data)
Absorber: From energy balance:
Q = mh +m h -mh = 354.74 kW
a 4 SS 10