EFFICIENT AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM

FOR AUTOMOBILE BY RECYCLING OF

ENGINE WASTE HEAT
A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF

M-Tech
In

Heat Power & Thermal Engg.

SANJEEB KUMAR SHAW
REGD. NO. 1407225016

Under the guidance of

Prof. SASHIKANTA NAYAK

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Balasore College of Engineering & Technology

Sergarh,Balasore-756060

2016

Balasore College of Engineering & Technology

Sergarh,Balasore-756060

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the thesis entitled EFFICIENT AIR
CONDITIONING SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOBILE BY RECYCLING
OF ENGINE WASTE HEAT Submitted by Mr. SANJEEB
KUMAR SHAW in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
award of M-Tech in Heat Power and Thermal Engineering at
the Balasore College of Engineering & Technology ,
Balasore (Under BPUT, Rourkela) is an authentic work carried
out by him under my supervision and guidance. To the best of
my knowledge, the matter embodied in the thesis has not been
submitted to any other University / Institute for the award of
any Degree or Diploma.
Date:

External Examiner

Prof. S.K.Nayak
Dept. of Mech.
Engg.

Guide

Acknowledgeme
nt
I express my deep sense of gratitude and indebtedness to my thesis
supervisor Prof S.K.Nayak, Department of Mechanical Engineering for
providing

precious

guidance,

inspiring

discussions

and

constant

supervision throughout the course of this work. His timely help,

constructive criticism, and conscientious efforts made it possible to
present the work contained in this thesis.
I express my sincere thanks to Prof.P.V.Singh Vice Principal BCET,
Balasore for providing me the necessary facilities in the department. I
express my sincere gratitude to Prof. P.K.Mohanty Coordinator of M-Tech
course for his timely help during the course of work. I am also thankful to
all the staff members of the department of Mechanical Engineering and to
all my well wishers for their inspiration and help.
I feel pleased and privileged to fulfill my parents ambition and I
am greatly indebted to them for bearing the inconvenience during my
M-Tech. course.

Date:

KUMARSHAW

SANJEEB
1

Regd.. No. 1407225016

ABSTRACT
An automobile air conditioning system generally works on vapor compression cycle
comprising of compressor, condenser, expansion device and evaporator. The objective of
project is to use vapor absorption system instead of vapor compression system having water
as the refrigerant and lithium bromide as absorbent. The air conditioning system compresses
of a generator, a segregator, a condenser, an evaporator, an absorber, a heat exchanger and a
plurality of conducts intercommunicated thereto between to form a circulated cooled air
production system. The improvement is characterized in utilizing the residual heat from the
exhaust pipe of an engine of an engine by helically winding a coil tube around the main
portion of the exhaust pipe so that the liquidized refrigerant water (H 20) from the generator
will flow through and be heated into a mixture of the vapor and lithium bromide and enter
into the segregator for a process of separation. Then, the vapor enters into the condenser via a
capillary tube and from there enters into the evaporator for a process of vaporization. Cooled
air is therefore produced and vented into the interior of the automobile. The vapor from the
evaporator will then go to the absorber and re-enter the generator after it is mixed with
lithium bromide which is returned from the segregator after being processed there to.
Whereby, a cooling circulation for this system is therefore completed.
Previously ammonia-water was used as refrigerant, due to the drawbacks such as
depletion of ozone layer and hazardous to humans as it is a toxic gas. So water is used as a
refrigerant. By implementing this absorption system, the compressor is eliminated thereby
reducing the power consumption of the system. This results in higher overall efficiency and
less fuel consumption of the engine. Further an analysis is made between vapor compression
and vapor absorption system and various parameters are studied.
The main aim of the project is to study implementation of vapour absorption system
for automobiles and make a working model.

CONTENTS
CERTIFICATE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

ii

ABSTRACT

iii

CONTENTS

iv

LIST OF FIGURES

ix

LIST OF TABLES

CHAPTER 1 LITERATURE REVIEW

CHAPTER 2 INTRODUCTION

2.1 refrigeration methods

2.1.1 natural methods

2.1.1.1 ice making by nocturnal cooling

2.1.1.2 evaporative cooling

2.1.2 aerificial methods

2.2 air conditioning systems

2.3 vapor compression system

2.4 vapor absorption system

2.5 advantages ars over vcr

10

2.6 practical problems in libr system

11

2.7 crystallisation

11

2.8 capacity control

12
3

2.9 commercial systems

12

CHAPTER 3 STUDY OF AUTMOBILE AIR CONDITIONING

15

3.1 description of absorption layout

16

3.2 waste heat recovery generator

Alternatives

18

CHAPTER 4 THERMODYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF ABSORPTION SYSTEM 11

4.1 first law analysis

24

4.2 thermodynamic properties

24

4.3 performance calculations

25

4.4 model calculatios

29

4.5 conventional calculation

39

CHAPTER 5 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

37

CHAPTER 6 FABRICATION OF ABSORPTION AIR CONDITIONING

SYSTEM

41

6.1 Absorber

42

6.2 Generator

43

6.3 Working model

44

6.4 water treatment

30

6.5 water level

30

6.6 high water temperature

32

CHAPTER 7 CONCLUSION

46

LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE NO.

DESCRIPTION

PAGE NO.

2.1

Vapor compression system

2.2

Vapor absorption system

2.3

Twin drum type libr system

13

3.1

Components of air cooled absorption

system for transport

17

3.2

Generator system with additional burner

19

3.3

Direct recovery generator system

19

3.4

Generator with air as intermediate fluid

20

3.5

Generator with intermediate fluid- closed

20

4.1

Layout of absorption system

23

4.2

Flow diagram of libr absorption system

26

4.3

Schematic representation of vapor absorption

with regenerator HE

32

4.4

Representation of absorption cycle on p-1/T diagram

33

5.1

Heat transfer in each component

38

5.2

Variation of COP at different generator temperatures

39

5.3

Variation of COP at different condeser temperatures

40

5.4

Variation of COP at different evaporator temperatures

40

6.1

Modified layout of absorption system

41

6.2

Absorber

42

6.3

Generator

43

6.4

Working model

44

LIST OF TABLES
TABLE NO.
NO.

DESCRIPTION

PAGE

4.1

Comparision between conventional and calculated results

36

5.1

Thermodynamic properties of each point

37

5.2

Heat transfer rate of components and performance parameters

CHAPTER1

LITERATURE SURVEY
Several eminent people have performed research studies on
energy efficient source for cooling and refrigeration. M.G. Rasul and
A. Murphy

[1]

have evaluated the feasibility of an absorption

refrigeration unit on solar power. A prototype model that is capable of

producing a temperature change in the evaporator was designed,
fabricated and tested. The performances and effectiveness of the unit
was studied by determining refrigeration effect (RE), coefficient of
performance (COP) and explaining operational issues of the unit.
Johnny L. Kirby

[2]

studied the working of absorption/adsorption air

conditioning refrigeration system. He found that reclaiming the waste

energy is a great cost-effective advantage of the adsorption /
absorption system, over a conventional air-conditioning system. And
finished by looking at various methods of powering systems with
minimal or better yet no, grid power assistance. Dr. Eng. Chiara
Boccaletti

[3]

aimed at individuating the main heat transfer and

thermodynamic phenomena, at the basis of operation of refrigerating

machines. He particularly analyzed Absorption machines and
suggested design modifications and adaptations/improvements of
schemes presently used. The final objective of his study was to attain
design of machines characterized by higher performance, lower
specific energy consumption and higher reliability.

V. Mittal, K. S. Kasana, N. S.Thakur

[4]

studied a detailed

review on the past efforts in the field of solar absorption cooling

systems with the absorption pair of lithium-bromide and water. They
have investigated the influence of key parameters on the overall
system performance. They also performed the modeling and
simulation of a solar absorption cooling system of a solar-powered,
single stage, absorption cooling system, using a flat plate collector
and waterlithium bromide solution. They developed a computer
program for the absorption system to simulate various cycle
configurations with the help of various weather data for the village
Bahal, District Bhiwani, Haryana, India. They have also studied the
effect of hot water inlet temperatures on the coefficient of
performance (COP) and the surface area of the absorption cooling
component. Jean Philippe Praene, Alain Bastide, Franck Lucas,
Franois Garde, Harry Boyer

[5]

Worked on solar-powered, single

stage, absorption cooling system, using a waterlithium bromide

solution. The first part of this work deals with the dynamic modeling
of an evacuated tube collector used for the simulation of heat
production. In a second part, simulation and optimization of the
system has been investigated in order to determine the optimum of
solar collector plant surface, storage tank volume and nominal
capacity of the absorption chiller. Hugo Lima Moreira, Paulo
Henrique Dias dos Santos, Celina Maria Cunha Ribeiro, Ednildo
Andrade Torres, Antonio Pralon Ferreira Leite, Carlos Antonio Cabral
dos Santos

[6]

have worked on the thermo economic or

9

exergoeconomic analysis of a double-effect absorption refrigeration

system with the water-lithium bromide pair, operating with the direct
combustion of natural gas. The method combines exergetic and
economic analysis and this study was done after the energetic analysis
of all systems components. They performed exergoeconomic
evaluation of the thermodynamic flows, which go through this cycle,
for operational conditions aimed at a refrigerating capacity from 5 to
15 TR. And applied to the present system to reveal which component
in the cycle would be wasting energy. This method was also based on
the incidence matrix that represents the physical structure of the
above-mentioned system.
Guozhen Xie Guogang Sheng Guang Li Shuyuan Pan [7] Have
adopted an improved cycle was adopted to raise the pressure inside
the absorber of the machine in order to intensify the absorption effect
of thick Lithium bromide solution and enhance the COP of the
absorption refrigeration system. A mathematical model that is used for
predicting the performance of the system was developed, and the
influence of pressure change on the overall performance of the
machine was studied. Omer Kaynakli and Recep Yamankaradeniz

[8]

have done the first and second law thermodynamic analysis of a

single-stage absorption refrigeration cycle with water/lithium bromide
as working fluid pair. Thermodynamic properties of each point in the
cycle were calculated using related equations of state. Heat transfer
rate of each component in the cycle and some performance parameters
were calculated from the first law analysis. From the second law
10

analysis, the entropy generation of each component and the total

entropy generation of all the system components were obtained. They
examined the Variation of the performance and entropy generation of
the system at various operating conditions. D.S. Kim, C.H.M.
Machielsen [9] have studied several air-cooled solar absorption cooling
systems and compared them in terms of cost and performance. They
found that Compared to single effect system of the same cooling
capacity, half effect systems would require about 40% more heat
exchange surface and -10~60% more collector area. Solar fraction of
a single effect system would be lower than half effect system, unless
vacuum tube collectors or comparable types are used.
In the mean while another system gained importance which uses
the waste energy available to produce the cooling effect and air
conditioning which is the vapor adsorption system. R.Z. Wang and
R.G. Oliveira

[10]

have presented the achievements gained in solid

sorption refrigeration prototypes the applications included are ice

making and air conditioning. The latter includes not only cooling and
heating, but also dehumidification by desiccant systems. The
prototypes presented were designed to use waste heat or solar energy
as the main heat source. Miguel Ramos, Rafael L. Espinoza, Manfred
J. Horn

[11]

have done experimental evaluations of a prototype solar

refrigerator, based on an Intermittent thermodynamic cycle of

adsorption, using water as refrigerant and the mineral zeolite as
Absorber. This system uses a mobile absorber, which is regenerated
out of the refrigeration cycle and no Condenser is applied, because the
11

solar regeneration is made in the ambient air for the regeneration,

aSK14 solar cooker is considered.
By Li Yong and Ruzhu Z [12] have studied more than 100 patents
filed mainly since year 2000 that propose technologies to improve
adsorption system and make it become a realistic alternative. And the
patents surveyed were classified into four main groups: adsorption
system development, adsorbent bed innovation, adsorbent/adsorbate
material development and novel application of adsorption cooling
system. The various technology options are discussed and evaluated.
Hot spots and key inventors/applicants are identified. An
assessment is made about current and future development of
adsorption refrigeration technologies. Craig Christy and Reza Toossi
[13]

have performed an investigation into the feasibility of meeting the

cooling needs for commercial tractor trailer refrigeration and transit

bus air conditioning (A/C) by utilizing their own exhaust heat to drive
an

adsorption

refrigeration

system.

An

experimental

vapor

compression A/C system utilizing adsorption compression was

refurbished and operated at CSULB to verify previously reported
coefficient of performance (COP) and specific cooling power (SCP)
values and to gain knowledge, experience, and insight into product
design issues.
P. Seifert DBI Gas- und Umwelttechnik

[14]

have worked on a

new and innovative concept of the supply with power, heat and
chilliness the Core of their demonstration project are a fuel cell, an
12

adsorption Refrigeration machine as well as multi-solar collectors.

First experiences with this concept show, that an optimized cooperation of the components with an adaptive control system based on
the weather forecast as well as various storages for heat and
chilliness can be achieved. A continuously operation, high fuel
utilization and reduced environmental pollution can be demonstrated.
J. R. Camargo

[15]

had worked on the basic principles of the

evaporative cooling process for human thermal comfort, the principles

of operation for the direct evaporative cooling system and the
mathematical development of the equations of thermal exchanges,
allowing the determination of the effectiveness of saturation. He also
presented some results of experimental tests in a direct evaporative
cooler that take place in the Air Conditioning Laboratory at the
University infatuate Mechanical Engineering Department, and the
experimental results are used to determinate the convective heat
transfer coefficient and to compare with the mathematical model.
P. K. Bansal

[16]

investigated the performance characteristics of

three domestic refrigerators, namely the vapor compression (VC), the

thermoelectric (TE) and the absorption refrigeration (AR). AR and TE
refrigerators are the result of research and development in
refrigeration system in the quest to find a cooling system which does
not use any refrigerant that damages the ozone layer. Three
refrigerators of similar capacity were compared for their usage in the
hotel industry in view of their energy efficiency, noise produced and
cost.
13

From the above literature review it was found the air

conditioning of automobiles can be provided either by vapor
absorption system or adsorption system. Work is being done on
absorption system using different refrigerants such as ammonia/water
and LiBr/water presently we have taken to study vapor absorption
system with water as refrigerant and LiBr as absorbent and make a
working model.

14

CHAPTER: 2
INTRODUCTION
The subject of refrigeration and air conditioning has evolved out of
human need for food and comfort, and its history dates back to
centuries. Refrigeration may be defined as the process of achieving
and maintaining a temperature below that of the surroundings, the aim
being to cool some product or space to the required temperature. One
of the most important applications of refrigeration has been the
preservation of perishable food products by storing them at low
temperatures. Refrigeration systems are also used extensively for
providing thermal comfort to human beings by means of air
conditioning. Air Conditioning refers to the treatment of air so as to
simultaneously control its temperature, moisture content, cleanliness,
odor and circulation, as required by occupants, a process, or products
in the space.
2.1 REFRIGERATION METHODS
Generally refrigeration methods are classified into two types
1.
2.

Natural methods
Artificial methods

2.1.1 NATURAL METHODS

15

In olden days refrigeration was achieved by natural means such as

the use of ice or evaporative cooling. In earlier times, ice was
transported from colder regions, harvested in winter and stored in
ice houses for summer use or, made during night by cooling of
water by radiation to stratosphere.
2.1.1.1 Art of Ice making by Nocturnal Cooling
The art of making ice by nocturnal cooling was perfected in India.
In this method ice was made by keeping a thin layer of water in a
shallow earthen tray, and then exposing the tray to the night sky.
Compacted hay of about 0.3 m thickness was used as insulation. The
water looses heat by radiation to the stratosphere which is around
-55oC and by early morning hours the water in the tray freezes to ice.
This method of ice production was very popular in India.
2.1.1.2 Evaporative cooling
As the name indicates, evaporative cooling is the process of
reducing the temperature of a system by evaporation of water. Human
beings perspire and dissipate their metabolic heat by evaporative
cooling if the ambient temperature is more than skin temperature.
Animals such as the hippopotamus and buffalo coat themselves with
mud for evaporative cooling. Evaporative cooling has been used in
India for centuries to obtain cold water in summer by storing the
water in earthen pots. The water permeates through the pores of
earthen vessel to its outer surface where it evaporates to the
16

surrounding, absorbing its latent heat in part from the vessel, which
cools the water. It is said that Patliputra University situated on the
bank of river Ganges used to induce the evaporative-cooled air from
the river. Suitably located chimneys in the rooms augmented the
upward flow of warm air, which was replaced by cool air.
Evaporative cooling by placing wet straw mats on the windows is
also very common in India. The straw mat made from khus adds its
inherent perfume also to the air. Now-a-days desert coolers are being
used in hot and dry areas to provide cooling in summer.
2.1.2 ARTIFICIAL METHODS
Refrigeration as it is known these days is produced by artificial
means. Though it is very difficult to make a clear demarcation
between natural and artificial refrigeration, it is generally agreed that
the history of artificial refrigeration began in the year 1755, when the
Scottish professor William Cullen made the first refrigerating
machine, which could produce a small quantity of ice in the
laboratory. Based on the working principle, refrigeration systems can
be classified as vapor compression systems, vapor absorption
systems, gas cycle systems etc.

17

2.2

AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS

Refrigeration systems are also used for providing cooling and

dehumidification in summer for personal comfort (air conditioning).

The first air conditioning systems were used for industrial as well as
comfort air conditioning. Eastman Kodak installed the first air
conditioning system in 1891 in Rochester, New York for the storage
of photographic films. An air conditioning system was installed in a
printing press in 1902 and in a telephone exchange in Hamburg in
1904. Many systems were installed in tobacco and textile factories
around 1900. The first domestic air conditioning system was installed
in a house in Frankfurt in 1894. A private library in St Louis, USA
was air conditioned in 1895, and a casino was air conditioned in
Monte Carlo in 1901. Efforts have also been made to air condition
passenger rail coaches using ice. The widespread development of air
conditioning is attributed to the American scientist and industrialist
Willis Carrier. Carrier studied the control of humidity in 1902 and
designed a central air conditioning plant using air washer in 1904.
Due to the pioneering efforts of Carrier and also due to simultaneous
development of different components and controls, air conditioning
quickly became very popular, especially after 1923. At present
comfort air conditioning is widely used in residences, offices,
commercial buildings, air ports, hospitals and in mobile applications
such as rail coaches, automobiles, aircrafts etc. Industrial air
conditioning is largely responsible for the growth of modern
electronic, pharmaceutical, chemical industries etc. Most of the
18

present day air conditioning systems use either a vapor compression

system or a vapor absorption system.
2.3 VAPOR COMPRESSION SYSTEM
The vapor compression refrigeration system consists of an
evaporator, compressor, condenser and an expansion valve. The
refrigeration effect is obtained in the cold region as heat
is extracted by the vaporization of refrigerant in the evaporator. The
refrigerant vapor from the evaporator is compressed in the compressor
to a high pressure at which its saturation temperature is greater than
the ambient or any other heat sink. Hence when the high pressure,
high

temperature

refrigerant

flows

through

the

condenser,

condensation of the vapor into liquid takes place by heat rejection to

the heat sink. To complete the cycle, the high pressure liquid is made
to flow through an expansion valve. In the expansion valve the
pressure and temperature of the refrigerant decrease. This low
pressure and low temperature refrigerant vapor evaporates in the
evaporator taking heat from the cold region. It should be observed
that the system operates on a closed cycle. The system requires input
in the form of mechanical work. It extracts heat from a cold space and
rejects heat to a high temperature heat sink.

19

Fig 2.1 Vapor compression system

2.4 VAPOR ABSORPTION REFRIGERATION SYSTEM
Vapor Absorption Refrigeration Systems (VARS) belong to the
class of vapor cycles similar to vapor compression refrigeration
systems. However, unlike vapor 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. Vapor absorption refrigeration systems have also been
commercialized and are 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 conventional absorption
systems use natural refrigerants such as water or ammonia they are
environment friendly.
In the simplest absorption refrigeration system, refrigeration is
obtained by connecting two vessels, with one vessel containing pure
20

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. The solution used in absorption refrigeration systems
may be considered as a homogeneous binary mixture of refrigerant
and absorbent.

Fig 2.2 Vapor absorption system

The most commonly used refrigerant-absorbent pairs in commercial
systems are:
21

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 (NH3-H2O) system for refrigeration applications
with ammonia as refrigerant and water as absorbent.
Of late efforts are being made to develop other refrigerant-absorbent
systems using both natural and synthetic refrigerants to overcome
some of the limitations of (H2O-LiBr) and (NH3-H2 O) systems.
Currently, large water-lithium bromide (H2O-LiBr) systems are
extensively used in air conditioning applications, 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).
2.5 ADVANTAGES OF VAPOR ABSORPTION OVER VAPOUR
COMPRESSION

The function of the compressor in the vapor compression system

is to continuously withdraw the refrigerant vapor from the evaporator

and to raise its pressure and hence temperature, so that the heat
absorbed in the evaporator along with the work of the compression
may be rejected in the condenser to the surroundings.
In the vapor absorption system the function of the compressor is
accomplished in a three- step process by the use of the absorber, pump
and the generator as follows .
22

1. Absorber:
Absorption of the refrigerant vapor by its weak solution in a
suitable absorbent forming a strong or rich solution of the
refrigerant in the absorbent.
2. Pump:
Pumping of the rich solution raising its pressure to the
condenser pressure.
3. Generator :
Distillation of the vapor from the rich solution leaving the poor
solution for recycling.
Compressor is connected to the crank shaft of the engine through a
belt drive. If this unit is removed, then the load engine decreases. Due
to this the engine performance increases.

Vapor compression system traditionally uses halogenated

hydrocarbon refrigerants, which contribute to ozone depletion
and greenhouse warming. Whereas refrigerant used in vapor
absorption system is eco friendly.
Due to the absence of reciprocating parts, operation is noiseless.

2.6 PRACTICAL PROBLEMS IN WATER-LiBr SYSTEMS

Practical problems typical to water-lithium bromide systems are:
1. Crystallization
2. Air leakage, and
3. Pressure drops
23

As mentioned before to prevent crystallization the condenser

pressure has to be maintained at certain level, irrespective of cooling
water temperature. This can be done by regulating the flow rate of
cooling water to the condenser. Additives are also added in practical
systems to inhibit crystallization. Since the entire system operates
under vacuum, outside air leaks into the system. Hence an air purging
system is used in practical systems. Normally a two-stage ejector type
purging system is used to remove air from the system. Since the
operating pressures are very small and specific volume of vapor is
very high, pressure drops due to friction should be minimized. This is
done by using twin and single drum arrangements in commercial
systems.
2.7 CRYSTALLIZATION
The

pressure-temperature-mass

fraction

and

enthalpy-

temperature-mass fraction charts show lines marked as crystallization

in the lower right section. The region to the right and below these
crystallization lines indicates solidification of LiBr salt. In the
crystallization region a two-phase mixture (slush) of water-lithium
bromide solution and crystals of pure LiBr exist in equilibrium. The
water-lithium bromide system should operate away from the
crystallization region as the formation of solid crystals can block the
pipes and valves. Crystallization can occur when the hot solution rich
in LiBr salt is cooled in the solution heat exchanger to low
temperatures. To avoid this the condenser pressure reduction below a
24

certain value due to say, low cooling water temperature in the

condenser should be avoided. Hence in commercial systems, the
condenser pressure is artificially maintained high even though the
temperature of the available heat sink is low. This actually reduces the
performance of the system, but is necessary for proper operation of
the system. It should be noted from the property charts that the entire
water-lithium bromide system operates under vacuum.
2.8 CAPACITY CONTROL
Capacity control means capacity reduction depending upon load as
the capacity will be maximum without any control. Normally under
both full as well as part loads the outlet temperature of chilled water is
maintained at a near constant value. The refrigeration capacity is then
regulated by either:
Regulating the flow rate of weak solution pumped to the
generator through the solution pump
Reducing the generator temperature by throttling the supply
steam, or by reducing the flow rate of hot water
Increasing the condenser temperature by bypassing some of the
cooling water supplied to the condenser
Method 1 does not affect the COP significantly as the required heat
input reduces with reduction in weak solution flow rate, however,
since this may lead to the problem of crystallization, many a time a
25

combination of the above three methods are used in commercial

systems to control the capacity.
2.9 COMMERCIAL SYSTEMS
Commercial water-lithium bromide systems can be:
1. Single stage or single-effect systems, and
2. Multi stage or multi-effect systems
Single stage systems operate under two pressures, one corresponding
to the condenser and generator (high pressure side) and the other
corresponding to evaporator and absorber.
Single stage systems can be either:
1. Twin drum type, or
2. Single drum type
Since evaporator and absorber operate at the same pressure they can
be housed in a single vessel, similarly generator and condenser can be
placed in another vessel as these two components operate under a
single pressure. Thus a twin drum system consists of two vessels
operating at high and low pressures. Figure 2.3 shows a commercial,
single stage, twin drum system.

26

Fig 2.3 Twin drum type water- LiBr absorption system

As shown in the figure, the cooling water (which acts as heat
sink) flows first to absorber, extracts heat from absorber and then
flows to the condenser for condenser heat extraction. This is known as
series arrangement. This arrangement is advantageous as the required
cooling water flow rate will be small and also by sending the cooling
water first to the absorber, the condenser can be operated at a higher
pressure to prevent crystallization. It is also possible to have cooling
27

water flowing parallel to condenser and absorber, however, the

cooling water requirement in this case will be high. A refrigerant
pump circulates liquid water in evaporator and the water is sprayed
onto evaporator tubes for good heat and mass transfer. Heater tubes
(steam or hot water or hot oil) are immersed in the strong solution
pool of generator for vapor generation. Pressure drops between
evaporator and absorber and between generator and condenser are
minimized, large sized vapor lines are eliminated and air leakages can
also be reduced due to less number of joints.
In multi-effect systems a series of generators operating at
progressively reducing pressures are used. Heat is supplied to the
highest stage generator operating at the highest pressure. The enthalpy
of the steam generated from this generator is used to generate some
more refrigerant vapor in the lower stage generator and so on. In this
manner the heat input to the system is used efficiently by generating
more refrigerant vapor leading to higher COPs. However, these
systems are more complex in construction and require a much higher
heat source temperatures in the highest stage generator.

28

CHAPTER 3
STUDY OF AUTOMOBILE AIR CONDITIONING
In the future there will be a larger and larger diffusion of VCR
systems because more and more people will be ready to spend money
for travelling comfort. At the same time, there is the strong demand
for improved vehicle performance and fuel consumption, reduced
noise, easy maintenance and high reliability.
A considerable portion of the total energy consumption of the
western world is centered in the transport sector. Automobiles and
trucks alone account for approximately 80 percent of all
transportation energy expenditures. These internal combustion
engines typically have a thermal efficiency of 40 percent. The
remaining energy is rejected to the atmosphere in the form of hot
exhaust gases or as energy convected from the radiator and the
engine. Much work now in progress is directed to the improvement of
the thermal efficiency by achieving better consumption of the fuel.
Some effort has been devoted to the utilization of the vast amount of
waste energy dissipated in the exhaust gases. Unfortunately, few have
focussed on using the waste heat for air-conditioning and
refrigeration.

Automobiles

and

trucks

alone

account

for

approximately 80 percent of all transportation energy expenditures.

These internal combustion engines typically have a thermal efficiency
of 40 percent. The remaining energy is rejected to the atmosphere in
the form of hot exhaust gases or as energy convected from the radiator
29

and the engine. Much work now in progress is directed to the

improvement of the thermal efficiency by achieving better
consumption of the fuel. Some effort has been devoted to the
utilization of the vast amount of waste energy dissipated in the
exhaust gases. Unfortunately, few have focussed on using the waste
heat for air-conditioning and refrigeration.
Besides energy usage for transport refrigeration, another
concern which has emerged in the last five to ten years is the search
for environmentally-benign refrigerants and refrigeration techniques.
Wide-spread efforts are currently underway to develop replacements
for the traditionally used halogenated hydrocarbon refrigerants, which
contribute to ozone depletion and greenhouse warming. One
alternative to the vapor compression cycle which has been
increasingly discussed in recent years is the absorption refrigeration
cycle.
The adoption of air condition system based on absorption cycles may
be seen as a good solution with respect to vapor compression system.
As a matter of fact the later causes reduction in engine performance
because of power consumption. Moreover, fuel can be saved by
adopting systems because of recovery of waste heat.

3.1 DESCRIPTION OF ABSORPTION SYSTEM LAYOUT

30

The principal difference between the absorption and the vaporcompression cycles is the mechanism for circulating the refrigerant
through the system and providing the necessary pressure difference
between the vaporizing and condensing processes. The vapor
compressor employed in the vapor-compression cycle is replaced in
the absorption cycle by an absorber and a generator or boiler, which
compress the vapor as required. The energy input required by the
vapor-compression cycle is supplied to the compressor in the form of
mechanical work. In the absorption cycle, the energy input is mostly
in the form of heat supplied to the generator. In the present case the
heat source is the exhaust heat of an internal combustion vehicle
engine.
In the generator a mixture of lithium bromide and water is
heated. The boiling point of water is lower than that of lithium
bromide, so it vaporizes, separating the refrigerant from the
absorbent. Since the vapor is not a pure water vapor, it must be
purified as it flows through a rectification column.

31

Fig 3.1 Components of the air-cooled absorption system for

transportation

The almost pure water vapor flows from the top of the column
to the condenser as a high-temperature, high pressure mixture. As
ambient air passes over the condenser, it removes heat from the gasmixture and the vapor condenses to a liquid. After the vapor is
completely condensed, the liquid leaves the condenser and passes to
the liquid-suction heat exchanger (LSHX). The LSHX is an aluminum
plate-fin heat exchanger. It reduces the temperature of the liquid
before it reaches the evaporator. When the liquid-mixture leaves the
LSHX, the pressure drops as it passes through an expansion valve into
the evaporator. Here it absorbs heat from the air being cooled and
32

vaporizes. After leaving the evaporator, the vapor is further heated as

it passes through the LSHX to the absorber mixing vessel.
The high-pressure weak absorbent solution leaving the generator
enters a heat exchanger. Here, its temperature is lowered by heat
exchange with the strong solution coming from the absorber. The
weak solution temperature is lowered further in the air cooled
absorber subcooler which is a fin-and tube heat exchanger like the
condenser and evaporator. Finally, the weak solution passes through a
throttling valve prior to entering the mixing vessel and mixing with
the refrigerant vapor coming from the evaporator and LSHX. The
absorption of refrigerant into the absorbent solution starts in this
vessel, where the released heat of absorption significantly increases
the temperature of the two-phase binary mixture. The mixture is
distributed into the three circuits of the air cooled absorber heat
exchanger. Removal of heat by ambient air is necessary to complete
absorption of water into the solution.
The absorption of refrigerant into the absorbent solution starts in this
vessel, where the released heat of absorption significantly increases
the temperature of the mixture. The mixture is distributed into the
three circuits of the air cooled absorber heat exchanger. Removal of
heat by ambient air is necessary to complete absorption of water into
the solution.

33

The solution leaving the absorber is strong because it has the water
refrigerant absorbed into it. After leaving the air cooled absorber, the
strong solution pressure is raised by a pump. Pumping power in the
form of work must be input to the system, but this power requirement
is relatively small compared to the power input into the compressor of
a vapor-compression cycle because liquid is nearly incompressible.
The solution passes on to the rectifier where it extracts the rectifier
cooling load, and to the solution heat exchanger, where more heat is
absorbed from the weak solution. The preheated solution passes
through the stripping column section of the rectifier in order to release
some vapor before entering the generator.
3.2

WASTE

HEAT

RECOVERY

GENERATOR

ALTERNATIVES
The power can be transferred from the exhaust gas to the vapor
generator either directly or by means of an intermediate medium.
Among the suitable secondary fluids, air seems a good choice. When
direct heat transfer to lithium bromide is adopted, the minimum
required power is the lowest possible. In the case of indirect heat
transfer, the simple solution with air implies a rather higher threshold.
In the case that a burner is adopted when engine power is low, it will
provide the highest temperature necessary for the secondary fluid.

34

Fig 3.2 Generator system with additional burner

In the case of direct recovery, the temperature at the absorption
system generator is some 1200C and may be assumed to be constant.

Fig 3.3 Direct recovery generator system

35

When air is used as an intermediate fluid, various options are

possible. The most suitable seems to be discharging the exhaust at low
temperatures, avoiding an air preheater. The temperature difference

between air and mixture is lower than the temperature difference

between exhaust gas and mixture in the case of direct recovery.
Fig 3.4 Generator with air as an intermediate fluid open circuit
Another possibility is represented by a secondary fluid closed circuit.
When air is used, there are only small differences with respect to the
previous open circuit. Among various media water may be used and

36

some advantages may come if phase change occurs in the exhaust

pipe heat exchanger as well as in the absorption system generator.
Fig 3.5 Generator with air as an intermediate fluid closed circuit

If the heat recovery device is placed downstream of the catalyser, the

temperature at the catalyser inlet depends on the engine operating
conditions .when the heat transfer occurs between exhaust gas and a
secondary fluid, the useful heat transfer surface could be insufficient
to obtain the necessary amount of recovered heat. Thus direct
recovery vapor generator is preferred.

37

CHAPTER 4
THERMODYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF ABSORPTION SYSTEM
The basis of thermodynamics is stated in the first and second
laws. The first law of thermodynamic analysis is still the most
commonly used method in the analysis of thermal systems. The first
law is concerned only with the conservation of energy, and it gives no
information on how, where, and how much the system performance is
degraded. The second law of thermodynamic analysis is a powerful
tool in the design, optimization, and performance evaluation of energy
systems.
A basic vapor absorption cycle is a two pressure three
temperatures level cycle which makes use of a vaporizable liquid as
the refrigerant and a second liquid or solid liquid as an absorbent. It
consists of a generator, a condenser, an absorber, an evaporator, a
solution pump and expansion valves.
The solution temperature in the generator and absorber are not
uniform due to the variation in solution concentration from inlet to
outlet in these components. This causes heat transfer irreversibilitys
in addition to those due to internal mass exchange. The regenerated
absorbent leaves the generator at high temperature and is cooled to
absorber temperature. Similarly the solution leaving the absorber is
heated to the level of the generator temperature. A solution heat
38

exchanger can be used to transfer the heat from the weak solution
leaving the generator to the strong solution leaving the absorber. This
reduces the input heat required in the generator. This internal heat

recovery improves the COP.

Figure 4.1 Layout of absorption system
The main thermodynamics process in a absorption refrigeration cycle
can be summarised as follows:
- Pumping, pressurisation and sensible heat removal of the rich
solution.
- Desorption process in the generator with external heat input, Q g at a
temperature tg, which represents the main input energy in this system.
- Desuperheating and condensation at constant pressure in the
condenser, thus giving an energy QC at a temperature tc.
- Cooling of the refrigerant liquid and its isenthalpic expansion
through a throttling valve.
- Evaporation of the refrigerant in the evaporator which produces the
cooling load, Qe, at an evaporator temperature te.

39

- Absorption of the low pressure refrigerant vapor within the weak

solution in the absorber at the absorber temperature t a with a heat
output Qa.
In order to perform a thermodynamic analysis of this cycle, the
following assumptions are made:
The generator, condenser, evaporator and absorber temperatures
are supposed constant.
The huge and low pressures of the cycle correspond respectively
to the saturation temperature in the condenser and in the
evaporator.
The pressures in the generator and in the absorber are supposed
to be similar to the pressures in the condenser and in the
evaporator respectively.
The strong solution Mss is defined as the solution with a high
concentration of the refrigerant (water) leaving the absorber is
supposed to be at a saturation state.
The weak solution, mws, is defined as the solution with a low
concentration of the refrigerant leaves the generator at a
temperature tg.
The refrigerant (Water) leaves the condenser at a saturated liquid
state at tc.
The refrigerant leaves the evaporator at a saturated vapor state at
te.
The pumping work is negligible.
No heat losses to the surroundings
The system operates at a steady state regime.
40

4.1 FIRST LAW ANALYSIS

In recent years, theoretical and experimental researches on the
absorption refrigeration system have increased, because these systems
harness inexpensive energy sources in comparison to vapor
compression systems. The system is bounded by two concentration
lines X1 and X2 for absorber and generator concentrations,
respectively, and two constant pressures pe and pc for evaporator and
condenser respectively. For an efficient air conditioning application,
the evaporator temperature te should be low enough to dehumidify the
air. In practice it ranges from 4.5 to 10 0C according to the load
conditions. The heat rejection temperatures t a and tc for the absorber
and the condenser respectively, vary according to the type of cooling
medium. The generator temperature tg depends on the source of heat
available. However a minimum temperature of 800C should be
maintained to provide efficient operation. The operational function of
a liquid liquid heat exchanger in the cycle will be the reduction of
the weak solution temperature t4, leaving the generator and increasing
the strong solution temperature t1 leaving the absorber.

41

4.2 THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES

Enthalpies of the water (refrigerant) and LiBr (absorbent) solutions
were calculated with reference temperature at 25 0C. The following
expressions were derived by F.L.Lansing

[17]

to calculate the cycle

performance.
1. The enthalpy of pure water liquid at temperature t 0C

= (t-

25)*4.186 KJ/kg
2. The enthalpy of saturated water vapor at temperature t0C =
(2397.74+1.745t) KJ/kg
3. The enthalpy or superheated steam at temperature t0C and
pressure equal to saturation pressure of steam at temperature
t80C = (2397.74+1.925t-.179 t8) KJ/kg
4. The specific heat of lithium bromide/water solution of
concentration X kg LiBr/kg solution is given by

C x = 4.227-

5.148X+2.01X2 KJ/kg
5. The enthalpy of LiBr/water solution of concentration X kg
LiBr/kg solution at 250C is Hx,25= 284.89-1911.62X+1744.18X2
KJ/kg solution
6. The enthalpy of LiBr/water solution of concentration X kg
LiBr/kg

solution

at

temperature

t 0C

(179.2-

1782.9X+1693.95X2)+(4.23-5.15X+2.01X2)(t)
7. In the range of concentration from 0.5-0.65 LiBr/kg solution,
refrigerant

temperature

tR0C

=(205.28-563.64X)+(4.709-

42

1.967X)(tm0C). this can be written as X=(49.04+1.125tm-tR)/

(134.65+0.47tm)
8. The saturated vapour pressure P in Bar corresponding to
saturation temperature T0K for pure water is given by log 10P bar
= 0.01-(2.068/T)-(149.51/T2)
4.3 PERFORMANCE CALCULATION
The determination of thermodynamic properties of each state in
the cycle, the amount of heat transfer in each component, and the flow
rates at different lines depend on the following set of input
parameters:
1.

Generator temperature tg0C

2.

Evaporator temperature te0C

3.

Condenser temperature tc0C

4.

Absorber temperature ta0C

5.

Liquid-liquid heat exchanger effectiveness EL

6.

Refrigeration load Qe

The above set can be determined from actual running

measurements or assumed by a first reasonable estimate to cycle
performance.
Together with the assumptions of neglecting the pump work and
neglecting the pressure drop in components and lines and assigning
saturation conditions after absorber, generator (weak solution),
condenser and evaporator, the properties are determined as follows:

43

4.3.1 ABSORBER CONCENTRATION

This is determined from concentration equation using ta for the
solution temperature and te for the water temperature corresponding to
the evaporator pressure Pe:
X1=X2=X3= X strong solution
X1=

(49.04+1.125ta-te)/

(134.65+0.47ta)

kg

LiBr/kg

solution.. (eq. 4.1)

4.3.2 GENERATOR CONCENTRATION
This is determined from concentration equation using tg for the
solution

temperature

and tc for the refrigerant temperature

corresponding to the condenser pressure Pc:

X4=X5=X6= X weak solution
X4=

(49.04+1.125tg-tc)

(134.65+0.47tg)

kg

LiBr/kg

solution.(eq. 4.2)

Fig 4.2 flow diagram of LiBr H2O absorption system

4.3.3 PRESSURE LIMITS IN THE CYCLE
44

It is possible to evaluate the pressure in the every line as follows:

Pevaporator,Pe=P1=P6=P9=P10 in bar :
log10Pe

0.01-(2.068/te+273.15)-(149.51/

(te+273.15)2)..........................................(eq. 4.3)
PcondenserPc=P2=P3=P4=P5=P7=P8 in bar:
0.01-(2.068/tc+273.15)-(149.51/(tc+273.15)2)

log10Pc=

.(eq. 4.4)
4.3.4 FLOW RATES
Enthalpy of saturated liquid water after condenser (state 8), is given
by the condenser temperature tc.
h8=

(tc

-25)

*4.186

kJ/kg... (eq. 4.5)

The throttling process from 8 to 9 give H8=H9
Enthalpy of saturated water vapour after evaporator (state 10) is given
by the evaporative temperature te as
h10=

(2397.74+1.745te)

kJ/kg.(eq. 4.6)
According to the first law of thermodynamics to the evaporator will
give
Qe=mR(h10-h9)....
......(eq.4. 7)
Where mR is the refrigerant flow rate, equals the difference between
the strong and weak solution rates. By using equation
45

mR

Qe

(h10-

h8)..

.(eq. 4.8)
The lithium bromide mass balance in absorber gives
mwX6+mRX10=msX1=(mw+mR)X1...
.(eq. 4.9)
By using the above equations,
mw=

(Qe

(h10-

h8))

(X1

(X4-

(X4-

X1)) .....................................................................(eq. 4.10)

ms=

(Qe

(h10-

h8))

(X4

X1))......................................................................(eq. 4.11)
since the concentrations x1 and X4 are restricted not to exceed certain
limits to avoid crystallization problems, and if the temperatures of the
cycle are set to vary according the ambient and load conditions, the
mass flow rates in the different lines will be varies accordingly.
4.3.5 LIQUID-LIQUID HEAT EXCHANGER TEMPERATURES
Once the heat exchanger effectiveness EL , the mass flow rates and the
concentrations are known it is possible to determine the solution
temperature t3 and t5 as follows
Based on the weak solution side, which has the minimum heat
capacity the effectiveness EL is given by
EL =(tg-t5)/(tg-ta)
or
Based on the strong solution side
EL=(mg*CX1)*(t3-ta)/((mw*CX4)*(tg-ta))
46

Where CX1 is the specific heat of the strong solution whose

concentration is X1 and CX4 is the specific heat of the weak solution
whose concentration is X4 where
CX1=

4.227-5.148X1+2.01X12

KJ/kg.......................................................................(eq. 4.12)
CX4=

4.227-5.148X4+2.01X42

KJ/kg....................................................................(eq. 4.13)
From the above equations the values of the temperatures t 3 and t5 are
given as
t5

tg -

EL*(tg-

ta)......................................................................................................(eq.
4.14)
t3= te + (EL (X1*CX4)(X4*CX1)(tg-ta))
....(eq. 4.15)
And the enthalpies h1 and h2 are the calculated using the following
relations
h1=(179.2-1782.9X1+1693.95X12)+(4.23-5.15X1+2.01X12)
(ta)...........................(eq. 4.16)
h5=(179.2-1782.9X4+1693.95X42)+(4.23-5.15X4+2.01X42)
(t5).............................(eq.4.17)
4.3.6 HEAT TRANSFER IN CONDENSER, GENERATOR,
ABSORBER
The enthalpy of water vapor leaving the generator and entering the
condenser (state7) is given by

h 7=2397.16+1.92tg47

0.179tc...(eq.
4.18)
The heat balance of the condenser gives
Qc=mr

(h7-h8)

.
..(eq. 4.19)
Heat balance for the combined generator and heat exchanger control
volume gives
Qg=m10h5+mRh7msh2..
(eq. 4.20)
Heat balance for the absorber gives QA
Qa= mwh6+mRh10-msh1...
..(eq.4.21)
The above equations are governed by the first law of thermodynamics
in the form
Qc+Qa=
Qg+Qe...
...(eq. 4.22)
4.3.7 COEFFICIENT OF PERFORMANCE(COP)
This is defined as COP= (refrigeration effect)/ (external heat input)
48

COP =
Qe/Qg....(eq.
4.23)
4.3.8 IDEAL COEFFICIENT OF PERFORMANCE
The maximum coefficient of performance of the absorption cycle is
given by
COPmax

=te

(tg-ta)/

tg

(tc-te)

....(eq.
4.24)
The ratio COPactual/COPmax is called the relative performance ratio to
show the deviation from reversible cycle operation.
4.4 MODEL CALCULATION
X1(strong solution) = (49.04+1.125ta-te)/ (134.65+0.47ta) kg
LiBr/kg solution
= (49.04+ (1.125*40)-10)/(134.65+0.47*40)
= 0.547
X4(weak solution) = (49.04+1.125tg-tc) / (134.65+0.47tg) kg
LiBr/kg solution
= (49.04+(1.125*97)-40) / (134.65+0.47*97)
= 0.655
log10Pe = 0.01-(2.068/te+273.15)-(149.51/(te+273.15)2)
= 0.01-(2.068/283.15)-(149.51/283.152)
Pe =7.8 kPa = 0.078 bar
49

log10Pc = 0.01-(2.068/tc+273.15)-(149.51/(tc+273.15)2)
= 0.01-(2.068/313.15)-(149.51/313.152)
= 1.004 kPa = 0.01 bar
h8 = (t-25)*4.186 kJ/kg
= (40-25)*4.186
=62.79 kJ/kg
h10 = (2397.74+1.745te) kJ/kg
= (2.97.974+1.745*10)
= 2415.19 kJ/kg
mR = QE / (h10- h8).
= 3.5167/(2415.19-62.79)
= 0.00148 kg/s
mw= (QE / (h10- h8)) (X1 / (X4-X1))
= 0.00148(0.547/(0.655-0.547))
= 0.0075 kg/s
ms= (QE / (h10- h8)) (X4 / (X4-X1))
= 0.00148(0.655(0.655-0.547))
= 0.009 kg/s

50

CX1= 4.227-5.148X1+2.01X12 kJ/kg

= 4.227-(5.148*0.547)+(2.01*0.5472)
= 2.01 kJ/kg
CX4= 4.227-5.148X4+2.01X42 kJ/kg
= 4.227-(5.148*0.655)+(2.010.6552) = 1.71 kJ/kg
t5 = tg- EL*(tg-ta)
= 97-(0.6*(97-40)
= 62.80C
t3= te + ( EL (X1*CX4)(X4*CX1)(tg-ta))
=10+(0.6*(0.547*1.71)(0.655*2.01)(97-40)
=64.380C
h1 =(179.2-1782.9X1+1693.95X12)+(4.23-5.15X1+2.01X12)(ta)
=(179.2-(1782.9*0.547)+(1693.95*0.5472))+(4.23(5.15*0.547)+(2.01*0.5472))*40
= (179.2-975.25+506.85)+(4.23-2.817+0.601)*40
= -208.64 Kj/kg
h5=(179.2-1782.9X4+1693.95X42)+(4.23-5.15X4+2.01X42)(t5)
=(179.2-(1782.9*0.655)+(1693.95*0.6552))

(4.23-

(5.15*0.655)+(2.01*0.6552))*62.8
= (179.2-1167.69+726.74)+(4.23-3.37+0.862)*62.8
51

= -153.6 KJ/kg
h7 = 2397.16+1.92tg-0.179tc = 2397.16 + (1.92*97)-(0.179*40) =
2576.24 KJ/kg
Qc= mr (h7-h8) = 0.00148*(2576.24-62.79) = 3.74 kW
Qg = mwh5+mRh7-msh1 = (0.0075*-173.24)+(0.00148*2576.24)( 0.009*-206.98) =4.55 kW
Qa =mwh6+mRh10-msh1 = (0.007*-173.24)+(0.00148*2404.732)(0.009*-206.98)= 4.31 kW
COP = QE/QG = 0.767

4.5 CONVENTIONAL CALCULATION

The operting conditions for lithium bromide-water air conditioning
system are given below
Generator temperature 97OC
Condenser temperature 40oC
Evaporator temperature 10oC
Absorber temperature 40 oC
52

Fig 4.3 schematic representation of of simple vapor absorption system

with Liquid liquid regenerative heat exchanger

Form the fig 4.3 and form the table of the water vapour pressure in the
Appendix we obtain the condenser and evaporator pressures
corresponding to their respective temperatures.
53

Codenser and generator pressure

Pc=7.357 kPa (at 40 oC) = 0.0735 bar
Absorber and evaporator pressure
Pe=1.224 kPa = 0.012 bar

Fig 4.4 Representation of Absorption cycle on the p-1/T Diagram

Now from fig 4.4 we get first the lithium bromide and then the
refrigerant water concentration in rich and poor solutions at states 4
and 2
State 4 Saturated cold solution form the absorber at
Pe=1.224 kPa and t=40oC
Xlibr=0.55 kg of LiBr per kg of solution
h4=93.5 kJ/kg(form h-x diagram)
Rich solution concentration of water
54

Xr= 1-0.55=0.45 kg of water per kg of solution

State 2 saturated hot solution from generator at
P=7.357 kPa and at tg=97 oC
Xlibr=0.65 kg of LiBr per kg of solution
h2=248 KJ/kg(from h-x diagram)
Poor solution concentration of water
Xr=0.35 kg of water per kg of solution
State 1 saturated solution at condenser pressure and 0.55LiBr
concentration
t1=74 oC (from fig 4.2)
h1=66 KJ/kg(h-x diagram)
State 3 saturated solution at evaporator pressure and 0.65LiBr
concentration
T3=60 oC (from fig 4.2)
h3=180 KJ/kg(h-x diagram)
State point 3a has the same enthalpy, temperature and composition as
state 3.but is at generator pressure. Its represents a state sub cooled
from 2 to 3 at55.32mm hg pressure
State 4a te=4 oC and Xlibr=0.55
h4a=h4=93.5 KJ/kg(neglecting pump work)
55

Specific solution circulation rates

f

(1-Xa)/(Xr

Xa)

.(eq. 4.25)
f = (1-0.35)/(0.45-0.35)
f = 6.5 kg/ kg of vapour
Heat available in the hot solution for transfer = (f-1)*(h 2-h3)
................(eq. 4.26)
= 5.5*(248-180) = 374 kJ
Heat

required

by

cold

solution

for

heating

f*(h 1-h4)

...(eq. 4.27)
= 6.58 (166-93.5) = 471 kJ >374
kJ
Hence, cold solution at 4a cannot be heated to 1.let it be heated
to 1a.
State 1a. energy balance of the liquid liquid heat exchanger gives
f (h1a h4) = (f-1) (h2-h3)
where

h1a

h4+((f-1)/f)*(h2-h3)

..(eq. 4.28)
= 93.5+ (5.5/6.5)*(248-180) = 151 kJ/kg
State 5 It is that of water vapour at 7.35 kPa pressure and 97 0C
temperature. At these conditions it represents a superheated vapour
56

state. The enthalpy of water vapour above the reference state of

saturated water at 00C had taken from empirical relation.

h=2051+1.88t.
(eq. 4.29)
h5=2051+1.88(97)=2863 kJ/kg
State 6
Saturated water at 40 oC
h6=4.188(40) =167.5 kJ/kg
State 7 p=1.224 kPa and at t=10 oC (liquid+vapor)
h7=h6=167.5 kJ/kg
State 8 p=1.224 kPa at t=10 oC (staturated vapor)
h8=2501+1.88(10)=2520 kJ/kg
Refrigerating effect qe= h8-h7=2520-167.5=2532.5 kJ/kg
Heat added in the generator per unit mass of vapour distilled
qg=h5-h2

f*(h2-h1a)

..(eq.4.30)
=2683-248+6.5*(248-151)
qg = 3066 kJ/ kg of vapour

57

Coefficient of Performance, COP= qe/ qg=0.77

Water vapour distilled per ton refrigeration
D=211/qe
=211/2532.5
=0.09kg/min
Mass flow rate of cold solution from the absorber
F=f*D=6.5(0.09)=0.495kg/min
Heat rejected in the condenser
Qc=D/60(h5-h6)
(eq 4.31)
=0.09/60(2683-167.5)
=3.77 kW
Heat rejected in the absorber
Qa=D*qa=D[(h8-h3)+f(h3-h4)]
.(eq 4.32)
=0.009/60[(2520-180)+6.5(180-93.5)]
=4.35 kW
Heat supplied in the generator
Qg=D*qh=0.09/60(3066)
=4.6 kW

58

Properties

Conventional

Calculations using

calculations
mathematical model
Qc
3.77 kW
3.74 kW
Qg
4.6 kW
4.56 kW
Qa
4.35 kW
4.32 kW
COP
0.77
0.767
Table 4.1 comparision between conventional and calculated results
As it is seen that the values obtained from the conventional
calculations and that from the mathematical calculation are
approximately same, so the mathematical model is used for doing first
law analysis of vapor absorption system and by using this
mathematical model a java program has been developed for the ease
of the calculations.

59

CHAPTER 5
RESULTS AND DISCUSIONS

The first law analysis is done on lithium bromide/water vapor

absorption system. Table 5.1 and 5.2 shows the results for the
thermodynamic properties and heat transfer rates of each component
respectively. In this analysis ,calculation were performed for 3.5kw
cooling load and the parameters were taken as t e=4oC, tc=40 oC,,ta=40
o

C, tg=97 oC effectiveness =0.8. in table 5.1 chemical composition

and mass flow rate are provided along with temperature,

concentration and enthalpy values of the working fluids. As seen from
the table 5.2 compared to other components the generator heat
transfer rate is the highest.

State point

Chemical

Temperature Concentration Enthalpy

composition TOC

kJ/kg

Water/LiBr

74

0.55

66

Water/LiBr

97

0.65

248

Water/LiBr

60

0.65

180

Water/LiBr

40

0.55

93.5

Vapour

97

2863

Water

40

167.5

Water

10

167.5
60

Vapour

10

2520

Table 5.1 thermodynamic properties of each point

Component

Heat transfer rates (kW)

Absorber Qa

4.35

Condenser Qc

3.77

Generator Qg

4.6

Evaporator Qe

3.51

Performance parameters of ARS

Circulation ratio f

6.5 kg/kg vapour

Coefficient of performance COP 0.77

Table 5.2 heat transfer rate of the components and performance
parameter of the system

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Fig 5.1 heat transfer rate in each components

Fig 5.2 shows the relation between the generator temperature and
coffecient of performance it shows that as the generator temperature
increases the COP increases keeping the evaporator temperature t e at

6oC condenser temperature Tc at 40oC and the absorber temperature ta

at 40oC
62

Fig 5.2 variation of COP at different generator temperatures

As the generator temperature increases the net effect change in the
enthalpies of vapour and weak solution decreases thereby Q g
decreases resulting in increase of COP.
Fig 5.3 shows the relation between the condenser temperature and
coefficient of performance it shows that as the condenser temperature
increases the COP values decreases keeping tg=90oC te=6oC =0.6
Qe=3.5 so the condensers should be maintained at low temperatures
in order to attain high COP values at low generator temperatures.

Fig 5.3 variation of COP at different condenser temperatures

With increase in the evaporator temperature the COP values increases

keeping the generator temperature Tg constant at 90oC. the evaporator
temperature is varied in between 6 to 100C. The absorber and
condenser are maintained at 350C. The heat to be supplied for the
63

generator is kept constant and the variation in COP is observed by

varying the evaporator temperature. As the evaporator temperature
increases the condensation required is less.

Fig 5.4
Variation of COP at different evaporator temperatures

CHAPTER 6
FABIRICATION OF ABSORPTION AIR CONDITIONING
SYSTEM

64

The vapor absorption system generally consists of a generator, a

condenser, an absorber an evaporator, a pump and a segregator. The
condenser used is a conventional air cooled condenser used in
automobiles and coming to the evaporator instead of buying
individual components such as evaporator, fan, expansion device the
whole evaporator unit had been bought with fan and the expansion
device connected to the evaporator placed inside a cabinet. For the fan
to run a 12v battery is provided. The selection of the condenser and
the evaporator is based on the calculations form the first law analysis
of vapor absorption system as how much heat needs to be transferred
by them.
When the first working model was tested it was found that due to the
pump the low pressures which needs to be maintained for effective
working is not being attained and more over the separation of water
vapor form LiBr/water solution is not happening. Hence the air
conditioning system was modified by removing the pump and

combing the segregator and the generator into one unit, and the

65

circulation of the refrigerant will now be happening only due to its

vapor pressure.
Fig 6.1 Modified layout of absorption system

6.1 ABSORBER
The absorber used is a cylinder made of mild steel, the main function
of the absorber is it works as a storage tank for LiBr/water solution
and for the purpose of re-circulation.it consists of three valves one for
collecting the segregated LiBr solution that is the weak solution from
the segregator, the second for collecting water vapor coming from the
evaporator and the third for sending the LiBr/water solution to the

generator for heating. Copper tube of 9mm diameter is used for

66

connecting the absorber and the generator to send LiBr/water solution

to the generator for heating, general rubber tubes used automobiles of
diameter 15mm is used for connecting the evaporator outlet and the
absorber inlet through which water vapor flows. A flow indicating
valve is used for checking whether the strong solution is again being
sent to the generator.
Fig 6.2 Absorber

6.2 GENERATOR
The generator is also cylindrical in shape made of mild steel; here it
works as both generator and segregator. The main function of the
generator is to heat the LiBr/water solution to saturation temperature
and the function of the segregator is to separate water vapor form the
solution and send the weak solution back to the absorber. The
generator also has three valves one for collecting of strong solution

from the absorber, the second one for sending back the weak solution
67

back into the absorber and the third one for sending the water vapor
into the condenser for further process. The generator kept in a tilted
position where the upper part when tilted acts as a segregator which
collects the water vapor and sends it to the condenser a tube is fitted
inside the generator and gas wielded through which the water vapor
passes to go to the condenser.

Fig 6.3 Generator

6.3 WORKING MODEL

Fig 6.4 Working model

Generator is provided with the electrical heater for which an ac
current is provided. This generator is packed with the insulating
68

material by which the heat is not leaked to the environment. By

providing the insulation, time required to boil the water is reduced.
The strong solution would flow from the absorber to generator by
gravity only. Thus the absorber is placed above the generator. The
insulated generator is placed in closed cabinet.
Due to the high temperature in the generator, the water in the solution
will boil and vapor is formed. Then the vapor is collected at the upper
part of generator, this part will act as a rectifier. The liquid molecules
present in the water vapor are separated by providing baffles in the
rectifier (upper part of generator).
Air cooled condenser will receive hot vapor from the rectifier. A
single flat tube of a condenser will have 5 tubes of 5mm diameter.
Vapor enters the condenser at the top opening and allowed to flow. In
this condensation process latent heat of vapor is removed and the
vapor forms into liquid.
After condensation, the refrigerant enters the needle valve (expansion
device). This expansion device is provided at the inlet of evaporator.
Condenser and expansion device is connected through a 9 mm
flexible pipe. Air conditioning of automobiles use these types of tubes
only. This throttling is an isenthalpic process. By expanding, the
refrigerant pressure reduces and the low pressure refrigerant enters the
evaporator.
CHAPTER 7
69

CONCLUSION
After studying and practical fabrication of vapor absorption system
the following conclusion can be made
To reduce the crystallization effect of lithium bromide, strong
solutions should not be maintained at low temperatures.
For better performance the condenser temperature should be
maintained in between 35 to 400 C.
For small capacity absorption systems, pump should not be used
in order to maintain vacuum pressures.
Direct heat recovery is preferred due to the absence of
intermediate working fluid.

FUTURE SCOPE
For better performance of the LiBr absorption system, double effect
generation could be used. For providing air conditioning at low
generator temperatures vapor adsorption system can used having R134a as refrigerant and activated carbon as adsorbent.

70