Absorption Refrigeration

Senior cold chain equip. technicians training

January, 2015
 Absorption Refrigeration
Outline

• Principle of operation
• Installation
• Maintenance
 Absorption refrigeration
Uses a constant heat source to
drive the refrigeration cycle.
The source may be:-
- Electric heater
- Gas
- Kerosene flame

KE:- kerosene & electric operation

GE:- gas & electric operation
 Absorption refrigerators
Absorption refrigerators KE, use two types of burner.

1. Kosmos burner :- small and yellow flame.

2. Aladdin burner :- big and blue flame.

 Kosmos & Aladdin burner
Aladdin burners
Springs types
(Dometic RCW50EK)
Non spring types
(Zero, Sibir V170KE)

Kosmos burners
Spring types
(Dometic RCW 42EK)

Non spring types

(Sibir V110KE)
The “Aladdin 32” kerosene burner
 The “Aladdin 23” kerosene burner
1.Sealing ring.
2.Lamp glass.
3.Gallery.
4.Outer wick tube
5.flame spreader.
6.Wick.
7.Wick carrier.
8.Burner base
 The “Kosmos” kerosene burner

1. Sealing ring
2. Lamp glass
3. wick
4. Gallery
5. Burner base
 Temperature controlling
When operating with kerosene
the internal temperature is
controlled manually, by
adjusting the wick of the
kerosene burner up or down.

When operating with electricity

the internal temperature is
controlled automatically by a
thermostat.
Safety Absorption Refrigeration KE
- Use only pure kerosene. Do not use Petrol, Diesel
or Mixed fuels.
- Wipe the tank carefully in case of
kerosene has been spilled.
- The equipment can be operated using either
Kerosene or Electricity. but the device will not
function and might be damaged if it is operated
with both energy.
 Installation

• Place the refrigerator in a cool part of

the Building.
• The room must be ventilated.
• Do not install the refrigerator in direct
sunlight or near any other source of heat.
• The refrigerator must be levelled.
Cont…

• Avoid draughts, such as door and window

openings.

• Clearances to wall must be at least 20-

30 cm.

• The cooling unit should never be covered by

news paper or other obstacles.
 Absorption refrigerators

Kerosene operation
Operating on Kerosene
Use the funnel provided to fill the tank.
and use filter paper or a clean cloth.

Fill the tank up to the “ MAX “ mark.

Operating on Kerosene

Wipe the tank carefully in case kerosene has

been spilled.

Close the tank using the cap.

 Lighting The Burner
Screw the wick out, turn the
burner round and dip the
upper end of the wick into the
kerosene for a few minutes.

Twist the wick approximately 2

mm over the edge of the
burner.
 Lighting The Burner

Position the burner upright on the tank. The ends of

the wick must reach the bottom of the tank inlet.

Leave the burner in this position for approximately

five minutes to enable the wick to absorb the
kerosene from the tank.
 Lighting The Burner
Light the burner and leave it
burning, until the wick is
burning all around.

Attach the burner gallery,

together with the burner glass,
and place clockwise in position.
CAUTION:
the burner is hot.
 Lighting The Burner
Press the burner downwards
onto the spring while carefully
pushing the tank.
Release the burner carefully
when it is positioned under the
chimney pipe.

Ensure that the burner glass is

exactly under the flange and is
closed tightly.
 Lighting The Burner
The burner must be burning on a completely blue
flame. (MAX setting)

“Min.”setting
“Max.” setting
 Lighting The Burner

Do not operate the burner on a large

yellow flame .
 Adjusting the burner flame
Check the refrigeration compartment
temperature after 6 or 8 hours by using the
thermometer.
If the temperature is above 8 °C, increase the
flame.
If the temperature is below 2 °C, decrease the
flame.
Installation of the separation walls
(Only RCW 50 KE)
2 aluminium and 2 water separation walls
are included with the delivery. The use of
these separation walls is subject to the
ambient temperature.

Use the water separation wall at ambient

temperatures up to +32°C.
Use the aluminium separation wall at
ambient temperatures higher than +32°C.
(up to 43°C at maximum)
Day/Night regulator (Only for sibir )
In low ambient temperature (at night in some
climates) the refrigerator may be too cold.

• By moving the lever (at the top of the refrigerator)

to the “moon” position, the flue baffle inside the
chimney will be lifted up, which reduces the
efficiency of the cooling unit.
• During day, when it is hot, the lever should be
moved to the “sun” position. The flue baffle
will return to normal and the refrigerator will
operate normally.
Absorption refrigerators

Electric operation
Operation with electrical energy

Connect the mains plug to the socket.

Use the thermometer to check the temperature
of the cooling.

Set the temperature of the compartment using

a thermostat.
Adjusting the thermostat of a refrigerator
• Set the thermostat around 3 or 4
• Leave the ref. to work for up to 6 - 8 hours
• See the thermometer and do the following

 If the temperature is above 8 °C, increase the

thermostat setting.
 If the temperature is below 2 °C, decrease the
thermostat setting.

1. Repeat these steps till you get the temperature

between 2 – 8 °C
 Maintenance
Absorption refrigerators, requires
constant attention to ensure adequate
performance for the vaccine cold chain.
 Daily maintenance
Check and record the refrigerator
compartment temperature by using
the thermometer.

Check the colour of the flame.

the flame must be blue and the
burner must not give off any smoke.
Cont. . .

• Check the tank contents, kerosene level

• Check if your vaccines are correctly placed.

 Weekly maintenance
Check for the ice layer on the evaporator. If the ice
layer is thicker than 6mm, the unit must be defrosted.

Clean the lid gasket and verify that the lid is locking
tightly.

Check if the unit is level and stable.

Cont . . .
Check the wick. The top of the wick must be straight
and clean. Trim using the wick cleaner, if necessary.

Ensure the burner is free from soot.

Check the end of the wick reaches the bottom of the

tank.

Clean the flue baffle.

 Monthly maintenance
Clean the chimney using the brush
provided.

Clean the cooling unit. Use a soft brush to

free the unit from dust.

Clean the unit inside and outside.

 Refrigerator not cold at all
Kerosene & electric
 Device is not placed horizontally.

 Poor ventilation.

 Device is operating with 2 energy sources.

Cooling unit defective.

 Refrigerator not cold at all
With electricity
 Heating element burnet .

 Heating element wrongly positioned in

the heating tube.

 Voltage is not constant.

 Thermostat defective.
 Refrigerator not cold at all
with Kerosene
 Kerosene tank empty.

 Burner dirty.

 Wick dirty

 Chimney dirty and blocked with soot.

 Flame is not burning properly (yellow).

 Insufficient cooling.
Kerosene & electric
 Device is not levelled.

 Poor ventilation.

 Device is operating with 2 energy sources.

 Lid does not lock properly.

 Ice layer at the evaporator.

 Insufficient cooling
with Kerosene

 Burner not correctly placed below chimney

 Burner dirty.

 No pure kerosene – bad quality

 Flame is not burning properly (yellow).

 Refrigerator to cold.
with electricity
 Wrong thermostat setting.(coldest Position)
 Bad capillary tube contact at the evaporator.
 Electrical thermostat defective

with kerosene
 Flame setting too high