MODULE 3

Vapour Absorption Refrigeration Systems

Vapour Absorption Refrigeration Systems: Introduction, simple vapour

Absorption system. Practical Vapour Absorption System. Advantages of

Vapour Absorption sytem over vapour compression system. Coefficient of

Performance of an Ideal Vapour Absorption Ref. System. Electrolux

(Ammonia-Hydrogen) Refrigerator, Lithium Bromide Absorption

Refrigeration System.
 Contents

❖ Vapor Absorption Systems: Simple Cycle

❖ Ammonia Water Systems - COP Electrolux System.

❖ Lithium Bromide Water Systems

 Vapour absorption refrigeration system
• Absorption refrigeration systems (ARS) involve the absorption of a refrigerant
by a transport medium. Also are often classified as heat-driven systems

• 1810: John Leslie demonstrates the basic principal using water and H2SO4 in

two separate jars connected together. H2SO4 has very high affinity for water.

It absorbs water vapour and this becomes the principle of removing the

evaporated water vapor requiring no compressor or pump

• 1860: Ferdinand Carre invented aqua-ammonia system in France.

• 1878: Windhausen develops Water – H2SO4 system and later H2SO4 is
replaced by Li-Br.

• 1922: Swedish students Platen and Munter develop pumpless

absorption system.

• The most widely used system is the ammonia–water system, where

ammonia (NH3) serves as the refrigerant and water (H2O) as the transport
medium.

• Other systems include water–lithium bromide and water–lithium chloride

systems, where water serves as the refrigerant.

• It is economical when there is a source of inexpensive thermal energy at a

temperature of 100 to 200°C
Simple Vapor Absorption System

7
Simple Vapor Absorption System:

Consists of an absorber, a pump, a generator and a pressure reducing valve to replace the compressor of vapor compression
system. The other components of the system are condenser, receiver, expansion valve and evaporator as in the
vapor compression system.
• In this system, the low pressure ammonia vapor leaving the evaporator enters the absorber
where it is absorbed by the cold water in the absorber.

• The water has the ability to absorb very large quantities of ammonia vapor and the solution
thus formed, is known as aqua-ammonia. This is an exothermic reaction, thus heat is released
during this process.

• The absorption of ammonia vapor in water lowers the pressure in the absorber which in turn
draws more ammonia vapor from the evaporator and thus raises the temperature of solution.

• With increase in temperature of the solution, the absorption capacity of water reduces, thereby
water absorbs less ammonia vapor. Therefore, it is necessary to cool the absorber to
maintain its temperature as low as possible, hence to maximize the amount of NH3 dissolved
in water. Some form of cooling arrangement (usually water cooling) is employed in the absorber
to remove the heat of solution evolved there.
• The strong solution thus formed in the absorber is pumped to the generator by the liquid
pump. The pump increases the pressure of the solution up to 10 bar.

• The strong solution of ammonia in the generator is heated by some external source such as
gas or steam.
• During the heating process, the ammonia vapors is driven off from the solution at high
pressure leaving behind the hot weak ammonia solution in the generator.
• This weak ammonia solution flows back to the absorber at low pressure after passing
through the pressure reducing valve.

• The high pressure ammonia vapor from the generator is condensed in the condenser to a
high pressure liquid ammonia. This liquid ammonia is passed to the expansion valve through
the receiver and then to the evaporator.

This completes the simple vapor absorption cycle.

Thermodynamic requirements of refrigerant absorbent mixture.:-
1. Solubility requirement : Should have high solubility in absorbent so that a strong solution, highly

rich in the refrigerant is formed in the absorber by the absorption of the refrigerant vapor.

2. Boiling point requirements: 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 and
absorbent alone returns to the absorber. This ensures that only pure refrigerant circulates
through refrigerant circuit (condenser - expansion valve - evaporator) leading to isothermal heat
transfer in evaporator and condenser.
3. It should have low viscosity to minimize pump work.
4. It should have low freezing point.
5. It should have good chemical and thermal stability
6. It should not undergo crystallization or solidification inside the system.
1
1
Practical Vapour Absorption System
❖ The simple absorption system as discussed in the previous article is not very economical.
❖ In order to make the system more practical, it is fitted with an analyser, a rectifier and two
heat exchangers as shown in Figure above.
❖ These accessories help to improve the performance and working of the plant, as discussed
below:
1. Analyser: When ammonia is vaporised in the generator, some water is also vaporised and
will flow into the condenser along with the ammonia vapour in the simple system. If these
unwanted water particles are not removed before entering into the condenser, they will
enter into the expansion valve where they freeze and choke the pipeline. In order to remove
these unwanted particles flowing to the condenser, an analyser is used. The analyser may be
built as an integral part of the generator or made as a separate piece of equipment. It
consists of a series of trays mounted above the generator.
The strong solution from the absorber and the aqua from the rectifier are introduced at the top of the
analyser and flow downward over the trays and into the generator. In this way, considerable liquid
surface area is exposed to the vapour rising from the generator. The vapour is cooled and most of the
water vapour condenses, so that mainly ammonia vapour (approximately 99%) leaves the top of the
analyser. Since the aqua is heated by the vapour, less external heat is required in the generator.
2. Rectifier: In case the water vapour are not completely removed in the analyser, a closed type
vapour cooler called rectifier (also known as dehydrator) is used. It is generally water cooled and may
be of the double pipe, shell and coil or shell and tube type. Its function is to cool further the
ammonia vapour leaving the analyser so that the remaining water vapour are condensed. Thus, only
dry or anhydrous ammonia vapour flow to the condenser. The condensate from the rectifier is
returned to the top of the analyser by a drip return pipe.
Note: A strong ammonia solution contains as much ammonia as possible whereas a weak ammonia
solution contains considerably less ammonia.
3.Heat exchangers. The heat exchanger provided between the pump and the generator is used to cool
the weak hot solution returning from the generator to the absorber. The heat removed from the weak
solution raises the temperature of the strong solution leaving the pump and going to analyser and
generator. This operation reduces the heat supplied to the generator and the amount of cooling
required for the absorber. Thus the economy of the plant increase. The heat exchanger provided
between the condenser and the evaporator may also be called liquid sub-cooler. In this heat exchanger,
the liquid refrigerant leaving the condenser is sub-cooled by the low temperature ammonia vapour
from the evaporator as shown in Figure. This sub-cooled liquid is now passed to the expansion valve
and then to the evaporator.
❖ In this system, the net refrigerating effect is the heat absorbed by the refrigerant in the evaporator.
The total energy supplied to the system is the sum of work done by the pump and the heat supplied
in the generator. Therefore, the coefficient of performance of the system is given by,
 Thermodynamic Requirements of Refrigerant- Absorbent Mixture
− The two main thermodynamic requirements of the refrigerant-absorbent mixture are as follows:
1. Solubility requirement:- The refrigerant should have more than Raoult's law solubility in the
absorbent so that a strong solution, highly rich in the refrigerant, is formed in the absorber by the
absorption of the refrigerant vapour.
2. Boiling points requirement:- There should be a large difference in the normal boiling points of the
two substances, at least 200°C, so that the absorbent exerts negligible vapour pressure at the
generator temperature. Thus, almost absorbent-free refrigerant is boiled off from the generator and
the absorbent alone returns to the absorber.
In addition, the refrigerant-absorbent mixture should possess the following desirable characteristics:
a.It should have low viscosity to minimise pump work.
b.It should have low freezing point.
c. It should have good chemical and thermal stability.
d.The irreversible chemical reactions of all kinds such as decomposition, polymerization, corrosion
etc. are to be avoided.
 Property of Ideal Refrigerant-Absorbent Combination:
The ideal refrigerant-absorbent combination should possess the following qualities:
1.The refrigerant should have high affinity for the absorber at low temperature and less affinity
at high temperature.
2.The combination should have high degree of negative deviation from Raoult's law.
3.The mixture should have low specific heat and low viscosity.
4.The mixture (solution) should be non-corrosive.
5.The mixture should have a small heat.
6.The mixture should have low freezing point.
7.There should be a large difference in normal boiling points of the refrigerants and the
absorbent.
1
8
Advantages and disadvantages of absorption refrigeration over vapor compression refrigeration system

• The compression of the refrigerant is done by absorption of the refrigerant by the absorbent. In the vapor

compression refrigeration system the compression of the refrigerant is done by compressor.

• In the vapor compression cycle the compressor is the major power consuming device while in the vapor
absorption cycle the pump used for pumping refrigerant absorbent solution is the major power consuming

device, but pump requires very small amount of power and it remains almost the same even for higher capacities

of refrigeration and this system is essentially quiet and is subjected to little wear.
• In ammonia-water absorption refrigeration system, ammonia is used as the refrigerant, which is easily and
cheaply available.

• In the absorption refrigeration system there are no leakages of the refrigerant.

2
1
• The vapor absorption system runs mainly on the waste or the extra heat in the
plant.
• Its initial capital cost is much higher (cooling tower and pump capacities for

pumping the cooling water have to be higher in case of the absorption

refrigeration system)
• The working pressures of the absorption refrigeration cycle are very low. As such
the system of the compression refrigeration should also be packed tightly, but
this is to prevent the leakage of the refrigerant to the atmosphere.
• The Coefficient of performance of the absorption refrigeration systems is
very low compared to the VCRS.
• The vapor absorption systems can operate at reduced evaporator pressure and
temperature by increasing the steam pressure to the generator, with little
decrease in capacity. But the capacity of vapor compression system drops
rapidly with lowered evaporator pressure.
• The load variations does not effect the performance of a vapor absorption system. The
load variations are met by controlling the quantity of aqua-ammonia circulated and the
quantity of steam supplied to the generator.

The performance of a vapor compression system at partial loads is poor.

• In the vapor absorption system, the liquid refrigerant leaving the evaporator has no bad
effect on the system except that of reducing the refrigerating effect. In the vapor
compression system, it is essential to superheat the vapor

refrigerant leaving the evaporator so that no liquid may enter the compressor.
• The vapor absorption systems can be built in capacities well above 1000 tonnes of
refrigeration each which is the largest size for single compressor units.
• The space requirements and automatic control requirements favor the absorption system

more and more as the desired evaporator temperature drops.

10
Coefficient of Performance of an Ideal Vapor Absorption Refrigeration System
We have discussed earlier that in an ideal vapor absorption refrigeration system,
(a)the heat (Q G ) is given to the refrigerant in the generator,
(b)the heat (Q c ) is discharged to the atmosphere or cooling water from the condenser and absorber.
(c)the heat (Q E ) is absorbed by the refrigerant in the evaporator, and
(d)the heat (Q p ) is added to the refrigerant due to pump work.
Neglecting the heat due to pump work (Qp ), we have according to First Law of Thermodynamics,
Q C = Q G + Q E …........................................................(i)
• Let TG = Temperature at which heat (QG) is given to the generator,
• Tc = Temperature at which heat (QC) is discharged to atmosphere or cooling water from the condenser
and absorber, and
• TE = Temperature at which heat (QE) is absorbed in the evaporator.
• Since the vapor absorption system can be considered as a perfectly reversible system, therefore the
initial entropy of the system must be equal to the entropy of the system after the change in its
condition.
 Domestic Electrolux (Ammonia Hydrogen) System - Three-fluids absorption system
• The domestic absorption type refrigerator was invented by two Swedish engineers Carl Munters and Baltzer

Von Platan in 1925.

The idea was first

developed by the
E lectrlux

C o m pany"

o f L u t o n , England
• The main purpose of this system is to eliminate the pump so that in the absence of moving parts. the machine
becomes noise-less.

• The three fluids used in this system are ammonia, hydrogen and water.
• Ammonia being toxic is used as a refrigerant because due to absence of moving parts, there is very little chances
for the leakage.

• The hydrogen being the lightest gas. is used to increase the rate of evaporation of the liquid ammonia passing

through the evaporator. (lighter the gas faster is the evaporation)

• The hydrogen is also non-corrosive and insoluble in water. This is used in the low-pressure side of the system.
• The water is used as a solvent because it has the ability to absorb ammonia readily.

Explanation:
• The strong ammonia solution from the absorber through heat exchanger is heated in the generator by
applying heat from an external source usually a gas burner.
• During this heating process, ammonia vapors are removed from the solution and passed to the condenser. A
rectifier or a water separator fitted before the condenser removes water vapor carried with the ammonia
vapors, so that dry ammonia vapors are supplied to the condenser.
• These water vapors, if not removed, they will enter into the evaporator causing freezing and choking of the
machine.
• The hot weak solution left behind in the generator flow to the absorber through the heat exchanger. This hot weak

solution while passing through the exchanger is cooled.

• The heat removed by the weak solution is utilized in raising the temperature of strong solution passing through
the heat exchanger. In this way, the absorption is accelerated and the improvement in the performance of a plant

is achieved.
• The ammonia vapors in the condenser are condensed by using external cooling source. The liquid refrigerant
leaving the condenser flows under gravity to the evaporator where it meets the hydrogen gas.
• The hydrogen gas which is being fed to the evaporator permit the liquid ammonia to evaporate at a low pressure
and temperature according to Dalton's principle. During the process of evaporation, the ammonia

absorbs latent heat from the refrigerated space and thus produces cooling effect.
• The mixture of ammonia vapor and hydrogen is passed to the absorber where ammonia is absorbed in water
while the hydrogen rises to the top and flows back to the evaporator. This completes the cycle.

20
The coefficient of performance of this refrigerator is given by :
C.O.P. = Heat absorbed in the evaporator

Heat supplied in the generator

Notes: 1. The hydrogen gas only circulates from the absorber to the evaporator and back.
2. The whole cycle is carried out entirely by gravity flow of the refrigerant.
3. It can not be used for industrial purposes as the C.O.P. of the system is very low.

Application:
• 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.
• Ammonia-Water (NH3-H2O) system for refrigeration applications with ammonia as refrigerant and water as
absorbent, where as large ammonia-water (NH3-H2O) systems are used in refrigeration applications, while small

ammonia-water systems with a third inert gas are used in a pump less form in small domestic refrigerators
(triple fluid vapor absorption systems).
• This system is used in domestic.
• It is also used in power plant.
 Advantages and Disadvantages of Electrolux Refrigerator over Conventional Refrigerators:

Advantages:

a) No pump or compressor is required.

b) No mechanical troubles, maintenance cost is low.
c) No lubrication problem; no wear and tear.
d) Completely leak proof.

e) Noiseless.
f) No chance of pressure unbalancing and no need of valves.
g) System may be designed to use any available source of thermal energy-process steam, exhaust from engines or

turbines, solar energy etc.

h) Easy control, simply by controlling heat input.
Disadvantages:
a) More complicated in construction and working.
b) C.O.P. very low.
c) The major disadvantages of this type of refrigerator are that if it is spoiled once, it cannot be repaired and has to
be replaced fully.
 Lithium Bromide Absorption Refrigeration system
✓ Limited to applications such as AC where the minimum

temperature is above the freezing point of water. (>0 0 C)

✓ In a water-lithium bromide vapor absorption

refrigeration system, water is used as the refrigerant

while lithium bromide (LiBr-(hydroscopic salt)) is used

as the absorbent.

✓ In the absorber, the lithium bromide absorbs the water

refrigerant, creating a solution of water and lithium

bromide.

✓ This solution is pumped by the pump to the generator

where the solution is heated.

✓ The water refrigerant gets vaporized and moves to the condenser where it is cooled while the lithium bromide
flows back to the absorber where it further absorbs water coming from the evaporator.
 Parts and How They Work:
• It consists of evaporator, absorber, condenser, generator, solution heat exchanger, solution pump, refrigerant

pump, control system and other auxiliary system, etc.

• Absorber + Evaporator in one shell operates at the same low pressure
• Generator+ Condenser placed in another shell which operates at the same high pressure.
• Water for air conditioning coils is chilled as it is pumped through the chilled water tubes in the evaporator by

giving up heat to refrigerant water sprayed over the tubes.

1)Evaporator: Water as the refrigerant enters the evaporator at a very low pressure and temperature. Since very
low pressure is maintained inside the evaporator, this water refrigerant absorbs the heat from the substance to be
chilled and gets fully evaporated. The water vapor formed is absorbed by the strong Li-Br solution which is sprayed
in the absorber.
2)Absorber: A concentrated/strong solution of lithium bromide is available in the absorber. Since water is highly
soluble in lithium bromide, solution of water-lithium bromide is formed. In absorbing the water vapor, the Li-Br
solution helps in maintaining very low pressure (high vacuum) needed in the evaporator required to produced

refrigeration and the Li-Br solution becomes weak. This weak solution is pumped to the generator where it is
heated up by using steam or hot water in the heating coils.
3) Generator: Heat is supplied to the refrigerant water and absorbent lithium bromide solution in the generator from
the steam or hot water. A portion of water is evaporated by the heat and the solution now becomes more strong.This
strong solution is passed through the heat exchanger and then sprayed in the absorber. The weak

solution of Li-Br from the absorber when passed through the heat exchanger, it gets heat from the strong solution in
the heat exchanger, thus reducing the quantity of steam required to heat the weak solution in the generator.
Refrigerant water vapor are passed to the condenser where they cooled and condensed by the cooling water

through the condenser water tubes.

• Cooling water for condensing is pumped from the cooling water tower. This cooling water first enters the

absorber where it takes away the heat of solution evolved there.

• Condensate (liquid water refrigerant) from the condenser is supplied to the evaporator.
• As water refrigerant moves further in the refrigeration piping and through pressure regulative valve reduces the
pressure of the condensate from the the condenser pressure to the evaporator pressure.
• The cooled water refrigerant from the evaporator is pumped and sprayed in the evaporator in order to cool the
water for air conditioning flowing through the chilled tubes.

• This cycle is repeated continuously. Lithium bromide on the other hand, leaves the generator and re-enters the
absorber for absorbing water refrigerant.
• The condenser water is used to cool the water refrigerant in the condenser and the water - Li Br solution in the
absorber.

• Steam is used for heating water-Li Br solution in the generator.

• To change the capacity of this water-Li Br absorption refrigeration system the concentration of Li Br can be
changed.

•Since water is used as refrigerant, the refrigerant temperature must be kept above the freezing point of water

Advantages
• Except for two small centrifugal pumps, there are no moving parts so less number of moving parts
• No Freon used instead water is used as the refrigerant, which is also available cheap.

• Easy capacity control

• No recharging cost of refrigerant ,which will be quite substantial and inevitable in vapor compression cycle
•Low working pressure
Disadvantages

• Low COP
• High heat rejection factor, so requirement of higher cooling tower and pump capacities
• Corrosive nature of lithium bromide corrodes the heat exchanger.
THANK YOU