A COMPARATIVE REVIEW OF NH3-H2O AND H2O-LiBr BASED VAPOR ABSORPTION REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS

The vapor absorption refrigeration (VAR) system is gaining importance due to its ability to reduce energy wastage and utilize available energy resources efficiently. This system also provides an adequate substitute for traditional refrigerants such as Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and Chloro-fluorocarbons (CFCs). However, ozone depletion and global warming problem might be reduced using this system. The primarily used environment-friendly VARS is a mixture of NH3-H2O and LiBr-H2O. The working principle of the VARS is heating and pressure difference during evaporation and condensation process in a reverse heat engine. In this article, various parameters which can affect the efficiency of NH3-H2O and LiBr-H2O VARS system are reviewed and compared. From the review, it can be concluded that the COP of LiBr-H2O based system was always better than NH3-H2O based VAR system. Also, the COP of multiple effect VAR system was higher than the single effect VAR system.